Aberrant: The Middle Children of History - Strange Bedfellows

[z-Monster]

The Corner had seen some odd things in its time, but this was definitely up there. Most of the residents had gotten used to the occassional nova, usually someone semi-famous. The Corner had that kind of luck; an amazing number of famous people had found their way here over the years.

Today, that luck had changed.

The door opened, but instead of the usual beam of light pentrating into the dark bar, there was a shadow. People glanced, and all of them froze in horror. The creature filling the doorway - the entire doorway - was furred and massive. It was a mottled brown and walked on four legs. Its head was massive and without any features save for a gaping mouth. The only reason the room didn't run was because it was blocking the door.

After a moment, the crowd relaxed a little. It hadn't eaten them, and it was clearly a nova. When it sauntered up to the bar and draped it's forelegs over the wooden barrier, they simply started to stare. None of them recognized this nova, and no few of them quietly took images or notes to post to the OpNet later.

The creature, meanwhile, waved a paw at the bartender; when he eased close, it tapped the handle for the brew on tap. Slowly, uncertainly, the bartender pulled the spigot, releasing a line of amber brew into the stein. Then he set it in front of the animal.

One brown paw touched the glass; without grasping the cup in any visible way, it lifted the beer to its mouth, pouring half the beer straight down. There was a moment where the beast seemed to be absorbed in enjoying its drink; then a belch shook the building.

Doug had been in a really good mood until this thing had walked in. It was sitting just down the bar from him, and he repressed a shudder. The eyeless thing was ugly, and all he wanted was for it to leave. It gave him the willies!

The thing's head swung toward him. Doug swallowed and stared into his mug, chanting, Ignore it and it'll go away. Ignore it and it'll go-

The voice was an intrusion, and it brought agony. It was feminine, but it drilled into his brain like a saw, painful and unforgiving. *You have a pretty mouth. Wanna fuck?*

[z-Monster]

To the rest of the bar, it looked as though Doug just flipped out. He screamed and threw himself off the stool, landing heavily on the floor. The nova followed him, abandoning her beer to thump to the floor in a crouch. Doug's eyes widened when he realized that it was the same stance his cat took just before it leapt on him.

"Hey! Leave him-" The beast turned to him and roared, her fur rising and making her look like she was swelling up. The man screamed and backpeddled, slamming into a wall before edging sideways and running.

The other patrons watched him go, sweat standing out on their bodies as they observed the monster in their midst. Only Doug moved or made any noise, because he was trying to drown out the voice in his head. *Oh, yeah, baby... I like it when you run. But you might wanna stop, or I might get confused about whether you're fuck or food.*

"Please... don't," he begged as he scuttled into the back wall and ran out of places to go.

The monster lowered her head to his crotch, rubbing her jaws over his jeans. He actually sobbed as he tried to flinch away from her.

"Sir?" The question brought the beast's head around, and the bartender flinched as if the eyeless monster could actually see him. His head filled with pain, and he heard a voice.

*It's ma'am, actually, the woman's voice, so incongious with the image in front of him, said. *What can I do for you?*

"I was wondering if you wouldn't like to come back to the bar for some of my twenty-year-old scotch," the bartender said, smiling sickly. "On the house."

The toothy maw stretched wider. *Can I bring my date along?* A massive paw patted Doug's leg.

"Sure," the bartender said, shaking from the attempt to remain calm under the circumstances. "Let's all go back to the bar and have a drink together."

The nova shrugged and rose lightly to her feet, moving with smooth grace for all her bulk. She stalked back to the bar and took her place again.

Doug had other ideas. The second she had turned her back to him, he stood and bolted past her, headed for the door. She didn't even have to move to grab him; her tail snapped out and caught him around the waist, and he was slammed into the stool next to her.

"Ma'am, please," the bartender whispered, paling as Doug cradled his bruised balls and turned purple.

*Please what?* she snapped at him. *Please what?*

"Please don't hurt him," the bartender asked. He glanced at Doug and then amended, "Anymore. Just... let him go, please."

[Tannin]

As the bartender was finishing his question the door to The Corner opened for a second time, and for a second time it was a shadow that fell across the floor, not a beam of light. But this time, when people glanced towards the door and froze in terror, it was not because a huge figure blocked the doorway, it was because a massive reptilian head did.

There was a dragon's head filling The Corner's doorway. A dragon's head with enormous, sharp and deadly horns sprouting from it, scraping roughly against the frame and preventing it from pushing all the way through. Instead, the monstrous creature was settling for shoving its snout through the narrow (to it) opening just far enough for its saucer-sized golden serpent's eyes to see into the dim bar.

Though the bar's patrons could only see the beast's head, the sense of something immense and terrible attached to that head, lurking just outside of the once safe and familiar bar, was enough to make the room seem cramped and tiny. The dragon's eyes were huge, its horns were huge, its razor sharp teeth were longer than hunting knives and there looked to be dozens of them in its mouth. Even its breathing was big; the noise of it sounding like a low rumbling coming up from the ground itself rather than the creature's mouth.

The dragon took a moment to scan the small group of terrified patrons, looking like a tiger trying to decide which was the weakest animal in the herd before pouncing on it. Then its gaze landed on the other Monster in the room, and its lips pulled back, revealing even more of the cruel lengths of killing porcelain in its maw. A growl escaped the creature's throat that was so low, it felt to the poor terrified baselines trapped inside like they were hearing it from somewhere within their chests rather than with their ears.

What followed appeared, to the terrified baselines watching, like some sort of a challenge passing between two monsters straight from out of someone's nightmare. All that the baselines saw or heard were two obviously wild predators growling and snarling at each other, when suddenly they seemed to agree on something, and it all stopped. The dragon's head was pulled away from the door, and the sound of something bus-sized moving about could be heard through the door. The other Monster watched the dragon go, and then began moving as though to follow after it.

[z-Monster]

The baby monster - and baby it was compared to the dragon, at least in size - started for the door after this weird snarling conversation. At the door it paused and, without glancing back, patted Doug on the ass with her tail, gently, like an overly intimate stranger. Then she was gone, pulling the door shut with one last twitch of her agile tail.

Things were quiet for a moment; then Doug drew a deep breath and started to scream.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Monster paused when she heard the sound from the bar, listening for a moment before trotting after the dragon. *That was fun,* she said conversationally to the massive creature when she caught up with it. *Beer's just as good as I remember. Still need to get laid through.* That last was only mildly accusing; despite the enjoyment that Doug had promised to be, Monster knew they were on more serious business than satisfying her libido.

What she didn't mention immediately was that the beer had brought to mind drinking in a smoky bar, somewhere else, sometime when she'd lifted the mug with human hands. Monster sighed as nothing more came back to her. When the memory of that other place had risen with the first taste of beer, she'd hoped for a bit more than genericus American barrous.

Overhead, the dark moon shimmered with black light, clearly visible to Monster's sensitive skin. Crickets sang a song that shivered against her sides, while the movement of Tannin against the gravel road was like a steady drum beat. Further away, corn whispered and slid over her senses, almost taunting her with its light brushes. This new way of seeing and hearing, this synesthesia times one hundred had nearly driven her mad. Now, it was a part of her, of the way she viewed and sensed the world.

She "glanced" up at her companion, even as she quietly acknowledged the irony of attempting to make eye contact with no eyes. *So,* she said, segueing into a question while her mouth engaged in a satisfied yawn, *how much further tonight?*

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

Monster paused when she heard the sound from the bar, listening for a moment before trotting after the dragon. *That was fun,* she said conversationally to the massive creature when she caught up with it. *Beer's just as good as I remember. Still need to get laid through.* That last was only mildly accusing; despite the enjoyment that Doug had promised to be, Monster knew they were on more serious business than satisfying her libido.

Tannin tilted its head in a queerly bird-like fashion in order to look down at its much smaller companion, and somehow managed to look mildly exasperated as it let out something that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a train's engine just beginning to warm up. Tannin's basically reptilian build meant that its eyes, unlike baselines and many other creatures (including most types of land-based predators), did not face forward, necessitating that it gaze at everything with only one of its eyes or the other, but not both.

*That's your fault for having genitals,* the dragon "said", a humorous twinkle in its eye taking the place of any exasperation, *and hormones and a sex drive. You should let those things go, life is so much easier without them. And I do not understand your fascination with those humans. They're so small and frail, and it seems like all they ever do is scream.*

Originally Posted By: Monster

She "glanced" up at her companion, even as she quietly acknowledged the irony of attempting to make eye contact with no eyes. *So,* she said, segueing into a question while her mouth engaged in a satisfied yawn, *how much further tonight?*

*All the way,* answered Tannin, *Nebraska is too lacking in suitable cover for creatures our size - especially for ones my size, so I want to put this night to good use. Anyway, we're only about an hour and a half away, provided that there aren't any more unexpected delays. As it finished, Tannin gave a knowing (but not scornful) look at its recently-made friend, and arched the eyebrow currently facing towards her in a surprisingly human fashion.

After a moment, Tannin suddenly asked, *Are you nervous?*.

[z-Monster]

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*That's your fault for having genitals,* the dragon "said", a humorous twinkle in its eye taking the place of any exasperation, *and hormones and a sex drive. You should let those things go, life is so much easier without them. And I do not understand your fascination with those humans. They're so small and frail, and it seems like all they ever do is scream.*

*I enjoy my sex drive,* Monster admitted, showing more of her teeth as she attempted something like a smile. *And humans are fun to play with. More entertaining than any other animal. Like the guy who tried to stop me and the bartender. They might have been friends with that guy, but they thought that if they reminded me of their social rules enough, I'd agree with them and just play along.* She shook her hairy head in disbelief. *In a way, it's funny and in another sad. I'm not human; why would I follow their social codes?*

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*All the way,* answered Tannin, *Nebraska is too lacking in suitable cover for creatures our size - especially for ones my size, so I want to put this night to good use. Anyway, we're only about an hour and a half away, provided that there aren't any more unexpected delays. As it finished, Tannin gave a knowing (but not scornful) look at its recently-made friend, and arched the eyebrow currently facing towards her in a surprisingly human fashion.

Monster took the mocking rebuke in the way it was intended: she snorted and her chuckle echoed painfully in his head. *I'll be good,* she promised, *though if you see a particularly juicy cow, you'll be just as tempted to sidetrack to fill your gut.* And like with Tannin's comment to her, her tone was more teasing than belligerant. She gave a little hop, putting her the fifty feet in the air to look Tannin eye-to-blank-place-her-eye-should-be for a second.

Originally Posted By: Tannin

After a moment, Tannin suddenly asked, *Are you nervous?*.

"Nervous?* Monster's tail swished back and forth for a moment, the end snapping like a whip. *I don't think so. I wonder if they will understand and accept me. You did, but you have said you're not like them either, because each of us is different. So I wonder if I'll be similar enough to talk to them. Or to be welcomed by them. But if not, I'll just leave.*

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

*I enjoy my sex drive,* Monster admitted, showing more of her teeth as she attempted something like a smile. *And humans are fun to play with. More entertaining than any other animal. Like the guy who tried to stop me and the bartender. They might have been friends with that guy, but they thought that if they reminded me of their social rules enough, I'd agree with them and just play along.* She shook her hairy head in disbelief. *In a way, it's funny and in another sad. I'm not human; why would I follow their social codes?*

*Because you were human, once upon a time,* Tannin answered her, *they expect you to remember your roots - and you should - but they should respect what you have become as well, and they do not.*
The dragon's gaze grew distant, and a sense of wistfulness entered the surface of its thoughts. *I am not sure they ever will, either...*

Originally Posted By: Monster

Monster took the mocking rebuke in the way it was intended: she snorted and her chuckle echoed painfully in his head. *I'll be good,* she promised, *though if you see a particularly juicy cow, you'll be just as tempted to sidetrack to fill your gut.*

Dragons can't smile, or at least, if Tannin was any example they couldn't. But even so, much as dogs, cats, and most other forms of animals are capable of expressing mirth when the mood takes them, Tannin was still fully capable of expressing his amusement at other's humor. And so its face as it responded to Monster's sarcastic remark was unmistakably filled with an air of good-will and good humor.
*I'll be good if you are, fair enough?*

Originally Posted By: Monster

And like with Tannin's comment to her, her tone was more teasing than belligerant. She gave a little hop, putting her the fifty thirty ( ) feet in the air to look Tannin eye-to-blank-place-her-eye-should-be for a second.

Originally Posted By: Tannin

After a moment, Tannin suddenly asked, *Are you nervous?*.

"Nervous?* Monster's tail swished back and forth for a moment, the end snapping like a whip. *I don't think so. I wonder if they will understand and accept me. You did, but you have said you're not like them either, because each of us is different. So I wonder if I'll be similar enough to talk to them. Or to be welcomed by them. But if not, I'll just leave.*

*Mmmm,* thought the dragon, in acknowledgement. After another moment of silent walking, it spoke again.

*Any terats who will only welcome those who are similar to them are not true Terats. They are pretenders to an ideal, and they will be cut down in the conflicts to come, as is their due. If I were you, I would not worry about whether they were willing to accept you, I would worry about whether you will be able to accept them. The Harvesters are a... varied lot. To say the least.*

[z-Monster]

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*Because you were human, once upon a time,* Tannin answered her, *they expect you to remember your roots - and you should - but they should respect what you have become as well, and they do not.*
The dragon's gaze grew distant, and a sense of wistfulness entered the surface of its thoughts. *I am not sure they ever will, either...*

Monster flinched at the mention of remembering roots. She didn't like to remember the blank slate that she was, the emptiness inside her mind. She couldn't remember anything before her life in the cave; in many ways, it was like she had never been human. But all of the first generation of novas had been human for at least a while before eruption, and no one - including Monster - believed otherwise. It bothered her, on a level that she wouldn't admit, because she was afraid that remembering would change who she was. She liked who and what she was; she didn't want memories of a past life altering her. So for now, she didn't reply to Tannin's thought.

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*I'll be good if you are, fair enough?*

Monster nodded and chuckled. *Deal. No distractions for food or sex,* she added to confirm their agreement. *Have you been like that since your eruption? Or did you grow out of sex and genitals?* Privately, she thought that the odds of her ending up like that were small, but it was an interesting thought, to have her sex drive disappear.

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*Mmmm,* thought the dragon, in acknowledgement. After another moment of silent walking, it spoke again. *Any terats who will only welcome those who are similar to them are not true Terats. They are pretenders to an ideal, and they will be cut down in the conflicts to come, as is their due. If I were you, I would not worry about whether they were willing to accept you, I would worry about whether you will be able to accept them. The Harvesters are a... varied lot. To say the least.*

Monster nodded. She'd expected an answer like that. Still, to hear Tannin say it was something of a relief. *I will do my best,* Monster said simply, and for her, that was the end of the matter. She wasn't sure she could do it, but she would try. *Whom have you met here before?* Monster asked after a moment of walking. *Or is this your first visit?*

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*I'll be good if you are, fair enough?*

Monster nodded and chuckled. *Deal. No distractions for food or sex,* she added to confirm their agreement. *Have you been like that since your eruption? Or did you grow out of sex and genitals?* Privately, she thought that the odds of her ending up like that were small, but it was an interesting thought, to have her sex drive disappear.

*No,* replied the dragon, *I was male for many, many years after my eruption. But it was only a nuisance. The sex organs were only a relic of an obsolete need of a species to reproduce to ensure the survival of their kind. Perhaps for some novas that is still a viable need, but not for me. I will never produce another of my kind, because there will never be a need for another of my kind. My potential, like that of every other nova, is unlimited. But this can only mean that one day I will have no limits of any kind. If, upon reaching such a plateau, I one day feel the desire for offspring to call my own, then I will simply create them. In any case, sex, and all of its accompanying problems, are an unnecessary element of the equation. So I discarded that element.

Originally Posted By: Monster

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*Mmmm,* thought the dragon, in acknowledgement. After another moment of silent walking, it spoke again. *Any terats who will only welcome those who are similar to them are not true Terats. They are pretenders to an ideal, and they will be cut down in the conflicts to come, as is their due. If I were you, I would not worry about whether they were willing to accept you, I would worry about whether you will be able to accept them. The Harvesters are a... varied lot. To say the least.*

Monster nodded. She'd expected an answer like that. Still, to hear Tannin say it was something of a relief. *I will do my best,* Monster said simply, and for her, that was the end of the matter. She wasn't sure she could do it, but she would try. *Whom have you met here before?* Monster asked after a moment of walking. *Or is this your first visit?*

*This is not my first visit. I have been to the Harvester's base of operations in this area once before, years ago, and I spoke with many of those who were quartered there at the time. Many of them have, I believe, left and several are not alive any longer, or so I have heard. Those who choose to forego the human guise they were born into, as we have, often find it difficult to survive for long in this world.*

[z-Monster]

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*No,* replied the dragon, *I was male for many, many years after my eruption. But it was only a nuisance. The sex organs were only a relic of an obsolete need of a species to reproduce to ensure the survival of their kind. Perhaps for some novas that is still a viable need, but not for me. I will never produce another of my kind, because there will never be a need for another of my kind. My potential, like that of every other nova, is unlimited. But this can only mean that one day I will have no limits of any kind. If, upon reaching such a plateau, I one day feel the desire for offspring to call my own, then I will simply create them. In any case, sex, and all of its accompanying problems, are an unnecessary element of the equation. So I discarded that element.

Monster quietly reflected that the loss of his genitals - or since he'd volunteered to have them cease, wouldn't that be the removal - also allowed him to avoid the obvious jokes about oversized sex. She'd already dealt with that, despite her short time on the surface. Her short dalliance with Doug had only enforced those thoughts. Most humans were too small to be effective. Maybe she should work on purging her own sex drive, but she didn't have Tannin's confidence in creating more offspring. But did she want to reproduce? Was that a driving concern for her? Or was she just interested in the base satisfaction of sex itself? It was something to consider, as she strived for her full potential.

That itself was a concept that she hadn't considered before: what she was. But as Tannin had pointed out, she wasn't human anymore, she was a nova, and that meant more than living in a cave and eating anything that crossed her path. Maybe her full potential included the ability to catch whatever she wanted to eat, but she wasn't there yet. It was good to have a goal; her life felt better with a purpose beyond filling her gut. Leaving the cave was truly the best thing that had happened to her, while find Tannin was the second best.

Originally Posted By: Tannin

*This is not my first visit. I have been to the Harvester's base of operations in this area once before, years ago, and I spoke with many of those who were quartered there at the time. Many of them have, I believe, left and several are not alive any longer, or so I have heard. Those who choose to forego the human guise they were born into, as we have, often find it difficult to survive for long in this world.*

*Ain't that how life goes? You try to be special, and the Man has to put you down.* Monster's tail swished behind her in an expressive gesture.

Tannin agreed quietly and they walked in a companiable silence. Ahead of them, the night slowly receeded before the soft glow of habitation. Monster waited for Tannin to turn aside as he had done before, but the dragon corrected so that he was heading for it. Monster felt a shiver of excitement as she realized that this was Heartland.

It wasn't much to look at, on the surface, but there were clearly novas wondering around and some of them were heavily aberrated. Maybe, Monster reflected, there was a home for her here, among these inhuman creatures.

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

*Ain't that how life goes? You try to be special, and the Man has to put you down.* Monster's tail swished behind her in an expressive gesture.

Tannin agreed quietly and they walked in a companiable silence. Ahead of them, the night slowly receeded before the soft glow of habitation. Monster waited for Tannin to turn aside as he had done before, but the dragon corrected so that he was heading for it. Monster felt a shiver of excitement as she realized that this was Heartland.

It wasn't much to look at, on the surface, but there were clearly novas wondering around and some of them were heavily aberrated. Maybe, Monster reflected, there was a home for her here, among these inhuman creatures.

Monster did not realize it, but the novas she was seeing had only ventured out from the extensive underground network of tunnels and caves that lay hidden underneath Heartland because of the expected arrival of Tannin and herself. Under normal circumstances, the careful facade of a typical Midwestern town, with typical Midwestern (and human) residents was meticuloulsy maintained at all times. But this was not a normal set of circumstaces.
Within the Teragen, Tannin was hardly one of the "Great Ones", but many Terats (especially those who were higly tainted) felt that this was only because Tannin had made no effort to become one of the core members of the so-called Teragen round-table. Those who preferred to look at things with a sense of humor said that it was because Tannin couldn't fit. Regardless of the real reasons, Tannin still held a place of high regard within the Teragen, particularly within the Harvesters, and so its impending arrival into the original home of their faction was a cause for assembly. Even more so when it was bringing someone like Monster for the express purpose of meeting them. Rumors of a nova like Monster would have spread far and wide through the Harvesters in no time, since even in an a group catering almost entirely to the most taint-heavy novas on the planet, there were few of them who had strayed so completely from their baseline heritage.

Yes, this was an unusual night indeed.

Tannin led Monster right up to the edge of the town itself, up to the border between the lights of the town and the shadows of the night surrounding it, and then it stopped. Sitting itself down on its haunches, Tannin settled into a relaxed pose, and then simply waited.

*They will send someone to greet us, presently,* it said, by way of explanation to the curious Monster next to him.

[z-Monster]

Monster "watched" Tannin for a moment before adopting a relaxed pose as well, dropping to her haunches with a yawn. Gradually, she curled onto her side and tucked her feet under her, pulling her tail tight against her body. She looked like the largest house cat ever, if house cats had no faces.

After a few more moments, a form left the heart of the town and began to stride toward them. Even at this distance, Tannin and Monster could tell that she, despite having a roughly humanoid form, was heavy tainted. Her eyes were black bulbs in her head, while she had a tiny mouth and holes for nostrils. Her hair was gone, replaced by a halo of writhing tentacles. Her skin had turned butter yellow, though it was a pale gray in the darkness. "Welcome to Heartland, Tannis and Monster. I'm Medusa."

Monster sat up, towering over the normal-sized woman. With a bit of effort, she reached out and drilled her thoughts into Medusa's head. And it was like forcing her words into the other's mind, with all the pain that violation entailed. *Thank you, Medusa. It's good to be here,* Monster said politely. Medusa shivered but didn't protest; she seemed to accept it without question.

Medusa let Tannin give his own greeting before saying, "I'll show you around a bit, though the real show is downstairs." True to her word, the walk around town didn't take long, because there wasn't much to see. Harvesters of all shapes - a virtual zoo of Dr. Seuss characters, had Dr. Seuss liked riding about psychopathic malformed novas - came out to meet them, to nod their head and give their names. The baselines who served as the town's cover came out to stare at the new novas, but didn't try to talk to them or meet Monster's inquisitive gaze. It had the weird air of a party or a parade, with parents holding up children to see. But there were no smiling faces, or happy cheers. It was, Monster realized suddenly, not like a parade at all; it was a prosession.

Medusa led them to the grain elevator. One of the elevators was empty and had a massive lift in it. "Here you go," she said. "I think that Tannin will have to ride alone, but this will get us down to the real Heartland."

[Tannin]

Tannin followed along silently during the "tour"; it had not been here for many years, and had never met many of the novas who were present, including their "tour guide". It was surprised at just how many novas there were as well. Tannin didn't remember so many being about last time. It wondered if that was a good thing, or a bad.

When they came to the grain elevator, Tannin waited patiently while Medusa and Monster rode down first, then it followed down after them. Tannin already knew that it would have to stick to the main tunnels, as the branching paths were, for the most part, not large enough for it to move through conveniently. But it knew this would not likely be a problem, as all of the branching paths that it was aware of only led to the "apartments" of the novas who called this place their home.

The "real" Heartland was something of a wonder to behold. Spartan in the extreme, it was nonetheless an impressive sight. It had started as over a mile of tunnels stretching underneath the one-road town of Heartland, but it was now much larger than that (though Tannin could not say precisely how much larger). The "main road", so to speak, was quite wide and tall, enough so that Tannin itself could fit through it easily enough, even if it did have to hunch down a bit. For creatures of smaller size (i.e. everyone else), the corridors were quite spacious, and surprisingly clean and well-kept. Much of Heartland's true impressiveness was lost on Tannin, however, as it had never paid any mind to the extensive medical and scientific facilities that this place housed. For those who had an eye for such things, Heartland was truly a wonder, and The Apothecary had a right to be proud of the place.

Medusa pointed out various curiosities and recent additions of the place to Monster and Tannin as they made their way down the central corridor, offering to give Monster a more thorough tour at a more convenient time, managing to imply that it would have to be without Tannin, but without being obvious or rude about it. Finally they arrived at one of the largest of the recent additions; a central meeting hall that had been put up a few years ago, and that was ideal for a gathering that included two novas such as Tannin and Monster. Gathered within were a small number of novas, apparently waiting for Medusa, and the two novas following along behind her. Tannin followed Medusa and Monster inside, and then stepped off to one side, trying to make itself as inconspicuous as possible. This was Monster's time, and it was happy to give it to her.

[z-Monster]

Monster padded through the halls of Heartland quietly, surprised that this place was sparking homesickness in her. This was nothing like Mammoth Cave, where Tannin had found her. Or perhaps, where they had found one another; she'd burst form the earth in front of him, afraid and startled by this ceiling-less world. From there, it had been a matter of diplomacy and negotiation, even if Tannin had to do much of it while pinning her to the ground. By the time that darkness had fallen, Tannin had agreed to help her find her feet. Now, weeks later, the two had no desire to part ways, as they had grown comfortable together. It was, Monster sometimes imagined, what having a pack would be like.

The four novas waiting for them were widely divergent in their appearance; the one farthest to the left simply had dirt for hair. A cascade of soil poured down her face and back to land around her, where it quickly disappeared. The most aberrated had dozens of limbs which he moved around on like a massive ball. "Welcome, Monster," the woman with soil-hair said, stepping forward with a smile. "We have been eager to meet you. I am Garden."

The man whose skin looked like half-hardened lava spoke next, his voice an oddly high-pitched hiss. "Tannin, you are welcome here as well," he said, bowing in a manner that made Monster wonder if he had been an Oriental before his eruption. Tannin acknowledged the greeting with a majestic bow of his horned head. "I am Vesuvius."

"I'm Geo," the multi-armed person said, "and this is Angel." Angel looked like one, if someone believed that angels were pulsing beings of light with faces like the gray aliens from popular culture. Angel waved, looking almost shy as she/it did so.

*Thanks for the warm welcome,* Monster said to Medusa, sitting on her haunches to make herself comfortable. She wasn't sure who to talk to, and since she could only talk to one person at a time, she didn't want to commit before she knew. It was an effort to connect to someone, and switching up too many times wore her out.

"No problem, hon," Medusa said, grinning broadly and tilting her head to the side in a surprisingly cute gesture. Her tentacles curled around her face as she said, "Garden had the contacts who found the information you requested, so we'll let her start."

Garden nodded and pulled a data stick out of her pocket. She started to hand it to Monster and stopped when she looked at her massive paws. Even with thumbs, the massive nova would have had a hard time with such a tiny stick. "We can get a print out for you, ok?" Monster nodded; there wasn't much else she could do. She didn't regret what she'd become, but it did require certain accommodations from time to time. "You know, if you'd like, I can summarize it for you."

Monster considered, then realized that she didn't care if these people knew her past. She wasn't sure that she cared about her past; it was important to know who she was, according to everyone else, but she wasn't sure that was true. Her bulky head nodded, the fur on her face bobbing with her motion.

"Ok, between 1998 and now, only thirteen people have disappeared in Mammoth Cave," Garden said. "Fortunately, we have someone reporting that they saw an 'eyeless monster' in the cave in 2020, so that cuts down out timeline from twenty-seven years to twenty-two. That dropped our numbers to ten lost. My instinct says you're one of these two people: Rachel Winters or Sophia McKnight. They disappeared with two other people in 2015. Now, the reason I think that one of them you is because there was a flood in 2013 in the cave, and you said you didn't remember something like that happening while you were in there. This four-person party disappeared after that flood."

Monster focused her mind on Garden's. *Do you have any other evidence? Perhaps some DNA evidence for Winters or McKnight that could be compared with my own?*

Garden shivered and whimpered; the first time Monster spoke to you was always the worst. "I... does that do permanent damage?" she asked, her voice shaking as she rubbed her skull.

Monster hesitated before shrugging. *I don't know,* she admitted before glancing at Tannin against one wall. *Tannin has not shown signs of damage and I've been talking to him for a while.*

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

Garden shivered and whimpered; the first time Monster spoke to you was always the worst. "I... does that do permanent damage?" she asked, her voice shaking as she rubbed her skull.

Monster hesitated before shrugging. *I don't know,* she admitted before glancing at Tannin against one wall. *Tannin has not shown signs of damage and I've been talking to him for a while.*

Monster's peculiar form of telepathic communication only worked on one person at a time - not so peculiar in itself, what made it odd (and unpleasant) was the physical pain it inflicted on those she spoke to - so Tannin could not follow all that was being said. However, it really was pretty obvious what Garden was referring to, and it was equally obvious what Monster was trying to convey to her mentally (and least, in broad strokes anyway).

Shifting away from the wall it was leaning against, Tannin spoke in a voice that, while not loud, seemed as broad and deep and large as the chest it came out of.

"I have not noticed any lingering effects myself, and I have been travelling with Monster for some time, now. Truth be told, I have never found her mode of communication to be particularly uncomfortable, myself, though I realize that most others do."

Leaning back against the wall, it added, "I believe you will be just fine, despite the pain. Don't concern yourself, Garden," before seeming to detatch itself from the proceedings once again.

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

Garden shivered and whimpered; the first time Monster spoke to you was always the worst. "I... does that do permanent damage?" she asked, her voice shaking as she rubbed her skull.

Monster hesitated before shrugging. *I don't know,* she admitted before glancing at Tannin against one wall. *Tannin has not shown signs of damage and I've been talking to him for a while.*

Monster's peculiar form of telepathic communication only worked on one person at a time - not so peculiar in itself, what made it odd (and unpleasant) was the physical pain it inflicted on those she spoke to - so Tannin could not follow all that was being said. However, it really was pretty obvious what Garden was referring to, and it was equally obvious what Monster was trying to convey to her mentally (and least, in broad strokes anyway).

Shifting away from the wall it was leaning against, Tannin spoke in a voice that, while not loud, seemed as broad and deep and large as the chest it came out of.

"I have not noticed any lingering effects myself, and I have been travelling with Monster for some time, now. Truth be told, I have never found her mode of communication to be particularly uncomfortable, myself, though I realize that most others do."

Leaning back against the wall, it added, "I believe you will be just fine, despite the pain. Don't concern yourself, Garden," before seeming to detatch itself from the proceedings once again.

[z-Monster]

"The trick," Garden said, rubbing her temples lightly, "will be getting DNA samples from those two woman. Without their bodies, we'll have to hope they had some genetic testing done. Once we've got the samples, it'll be easy to compare. Given the changes you've gone through, the samples won't be an exact match anymore." She paused, her cornflower blue eyes amused as she added, "Weird, to think that you were once this other being, huh?"

*Yes,* Monster said, remembering to nod, as if the gesture meant anything really. *Very odd.*

Garden's eyes crossed briefly as Monster's "voice" hammered into her skull; then she smiled. "Anyway, we'd be able to find the common alleles and link you up. Also, as you read over the profiles of the women, you might make the connection on your own."

Monster nodded, but didn't try to reply. It wasn't worth the effort to talk when she could just nod. She'd never hesitate to talk to Tannin; that was one reason she didn't mind traveling with him.

The pause that had fallen was filled quickly by Geo. "We'll be glad to help you find out who you were," he said. "In the meantime, you also wanted to discuss Teras?"

"Let's eat," Angel said, "while we talk." His/her voice was crystalline and more sensation than sound, as if song were speaking.

"Good call," Garden said. "I'm sure you guys are hungry."

*We stopped for a beer a couple of hours ago,* Monster replied. *A small cow would be nice.*

Laughing, Garden showed them to another room, just down the hall. It was clearly a dining room, though many of the tables had been removed to make room for Tannin. The tables left were piled high with food, save one that had chairs around two sides of it. Together, the novas sat, either on chairs provided or on the floor, with their plates of food. "From what I've been told," Medusa said, starting things after quiet pleasantries had been extended, "Tannin's already talked a bit about the evolution of Homo sapien novus from Home sapien." She glanced at him with butter-yellow eyes. "Is that correct?"

[z-Monster]

"The trick," Garden said, rubbing her temples lightly, "will be getting DNA samples from those two woman. Without their bodies, we'll have to hope they had some genetic testing done. Once we've got the samples, it'll be easy to compare. Given the changes you've gone through, the samples won't be an exact match anymore." She paused, her cornflower blue eyes amused as she added, "Weird, to think that you were once this other being, huh?"

*Yes,* Monster said, remembering to nod, as if the gesture meant anything really. *Very odd.*

Garden's eyes crossed briefly as Monster's "voice" hammered into her skull; then she smiled. "Anyway, we'd be able to find the common alleles and link you up. Also, as you read over the profiles of the women, you might make the connection on your own."

Monster nodded, but didn't try to reply. It wasn't worth the effort to talk when she could just nod. She'd never hesitate to talk to Tannin; that was one reason she didn't mind traveling with him.

The pause that had fallen was filled quickly by Geo. "We'll be glad to help you find out who you were," he said. "In the meantime, you also wanted to discuss Teras?"

"Let's eat," Angel said, "while we talk." His/her voice was crystalline and more sensation than sound, as if song were speaking.

"Good call," Garden said. "I'm sure you guys are hungry."

*We stopped for a beer a couple of hours ago,* Monster replied. *A small cow would be nice.*

Laughing, Garden showed them to another room, just down the hall. It was clearly a dining room, though many of the tables had been removed to make room for Tannin. The tables left were piled high with food, save one that had chairs around two sides of it. Together, the novas sat, either on chairs provided or on the floor, with their plates of food. "From what I've been told," Medusa said, starting things after quiet pleasantries had been extended, "Tannin's already talked a bit about the evolution of Homo sapien novus from Home sapien." She glanced at him with butter-yellow eyes. "Is that correct?"

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

Laughing, Garden showed them to another room, just down the hall. It was clearly a dining room, though many of the tables had been removed to make room for Tannin. The tables left were piled high with food, save one that had chairs around two sides of it. Together, the novas sat, either on chairs provided or on the floor, with their plates of food. "From what I've been told," Medusa said, starting things after quiet pleasantries had been extended, "Tannin's already talked a bit about the evolution of Homo sapien novus from Home sapien." She glanced at him with butter-yellow eyes. "Is that correct?"

Tannin had been in the middle of eyeing the tables full of food, looking for a suitable meal, when Medusa asked her question. Tannin's head swiveled sharply up and away from the table on its long neck like a serpent, jerking its head and gazing sharply at her in a sideways - and profoundly non-baseline - manner. For an instant, its alien gaze held most of those present transfixed, impaled on fear like insects in a display case, and Tannin's predatorial nature was more apparent that at any time since Monster had met it. The instant passed, Tannin's gaze lost its predatorial look and took on an appearance of careful consideration, and at least one person sighed in audible relief. Tannin seemed not to notice.

"Yes", it answered, after a moment, "I have touched briefly on Teras and its three paths during our time together. However, I felt that, in order for Monster to know where she was going, she should first know where she has come from. She agreed, as you can see, and so here we are."

While it was speaking, Tannin had been eyeing the tables again with the eye on the opposite side of its head from those it was speaking to. Its gazed fixed on what looked to be an entire lamb, skinned and cooked (unfortunately). Tannin's head and neck lunged for it with a speed greater than a striking cobra, and the entire carcass seemingly vanished into thin air, so quickly did its jaws close over the dead animal. It took only a few seconds for the dragon to swallow the creature whole, and then it continued.

"Her evolution has been impressive, but unfortunately it has also been uncontrolled. Monster has strayed dangerously close to that which those who follow the Teras path of the same name fear most; becoming a devolved creature of little more than feral instinct. Fortunately, she understands and acknowledges this, and has worked very hard in a very short time to reclaim her true destiny as something more, rather than less, than what she was."

Licking its lips in appreciation of the tasty appetizer, it added, "so far she has done a fine job of it. I have high hopes for her."

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Monster

Laughing, Garden showed them to another room, just down the hall. It was clearly a dining room, though many of the tables had been removed to make room for Tannin. The tables left were piled high with food, save one that had chairs around two sides of it. Together, the novas sat, either on chairs provided or on the floor, with their plates of food. "From what I've been told," Medusa said, starting things after quiet pleasantries had been extended, "Tannin's already talked a bit about the evolution of Homo sapien novus from Home sapien." She glanced at him with butter-yellow eyes. "Is that correct?"

Tannin had been in the middle of eyeing the tables full of food, looking for a suitable meal, when Medusa asked her question. Tannin's head swiveled sharply up and away from the table on its long neck like a serpent, jerking its head and gazing sharply at her in a sideways - and profoundly non-baseline - manner. For an instant, its alien gaze held most of those present transfixed, impaled on fear like insects in a display case, and Tannin's predatorial nature was more apparent that at any time since Monster had met it. The instant passed, Tannin's gaze lost its predatorial look and took on an appearance of careful consideration, and at least one person sighed in audible relief. Tannin seemed not to notice.

"Yes", it answered, after a moment, "I have touched briefly on Teras and its three paths during our time together. However, I felt that, in order for Monster to know where she was going, she should first know where she has come from. She agreed, as you can see, and so here we are."

While it was speaking, Tannin had been eyeing the tables again with the eye on the opposite side of its head from those it was speaking to. Its gazed fixed on what looked to be an entire lamb, skinned and cooked (unfortunately). Tannin's head and neck lunged for it with a speed greater than a striking cobra, and the entire carcass seemingly vanished into thin air, so quickly did its jaws close over the dead animal. It took only a few seconds for the dragon to swallow the creature whole, and then it continued.

"Her evolution has been impressive, but unfortunately it has also been uncontrolled. Monster has strayed dangerously close to that which those who follow the Teras path of the same name fear most; becoming a devolved creature of little more than feral instinct. Fortunately, she understands and acknowledges this, and has worked very hard in a very short time to reclaim her true destiny as something more, rather than less, than what she was."

Licking its lips in appreciation of the tasty appetizer, it added, "so far she has done a fine job of it. I have high hopes for her."

[z-Monster]

Angel, who had been eating only plants to this point, jumped and gasped when Tannin displayed his oral speed and ferocity. She also looked a little quesy when Monster began to dig into a roast, pinning it directly to the table with one paw while tearing at it with her long teeth. Shreds of meat dropped to the table in greasy splatters as she said to Garden, *May I continue to speak through you, rather than switching to another mind? Switching too often is tiring.*

"Oh, yes," Garden said. She explained to the others what Monster had asked, managing to make it sound less like accomidations for a disabled guest and more like a regular, standard way of handling things. "So I'll serve as her mouthpiece.

*Thank you,* Monster said gratefully. *May I know more about those in the room? I know that some will not be comfortable with discussing personal issues, but... my own experience is limited to what I can remember, and that is sometimes very fuzzy. I guess I want to know where others come from, to compare my experience.*

Garden relayed the request to the others. Before she had finished emphasizing that it was voluntary, Geo was speaking. "Well, I was an acrobat. You know, in the Cirque du Soleil. I wanted to be the best acrobat there, and I over extended myself and started to fall. I remember thinking that if I'd had another hand to catch myself, I'd be fine. And then I did have it.

"The wifey wasn't too happy about it. I could have stayed with the circus, but what was the point? I was getting all the freak parts. It was pretty clear that's all there was. I went Elite for a while, then XWF. It was all empty shilling for baselines, though. Gradually, I woke up to reality and started looking for something better.

"I would randomally add another arm or leg, over time. By then, I was really a freak to the common man. Find someone who didn't care what I looked like, and has the right idea about how things go, anyway," Geo finished, taking a drink of beer.

There was a moment of silence before Garden said, "I just like the Harvesters. Their beliefs echo my own experiences. I was treated with fear and suspicion just for being a nova. It's just going to get worse. That's my take on things."

*Worse? Are you talking socially or politically?* Monster asked.

"I'm talking worse in all ways, Monster," Garden said. "Soon, we're going to be facing genocide. Well, soon by our standards. A century or so, on the outside."

"We need for them to be in their place before that," Vesuvius grumbled around a mouthful of steamed peas. "We need to press them under our boot." He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular; he seemed to be listening to his own voice. "It's them or us."

[z-Monster]

Angel, who had been eating only plants to this point, jumped and gasped when Tannin displayed his oral speed and ferocity. She also looked a little quesy when Monster began to dig into a roast, pinning it directly to the table with one paw while tearing at it with her long teeth. Shreds of meat dropped to the table in greasy splatters as she said to Garden, *May I continue to speak through you, rather than switching to another mind? Switching too often is tiring.*

"Oh, yes," Garden said. She explained to the others what Monster had asked, managing to make it sound less like accomidations for a disabled guest and more like a regular, standard way of handling things. "So I'll serve as her mouthpiece.

*Thank you,* Monster said gratefully. *May I know more about those in the room? I know that some will not be comfortable with discussing personal issues, but... my own experience is limited to what I can remember, and that is sometimes very fuzzy. I guess I want to know where others come from, to compare my experience.*

Garden relayed the request to the others. Before she had finished emphasizing that it was voluntary, Geo was speaking. "Well, I was an acrobat. You know, in the Cirque du Soleil. I wanted to be the best acrobat there, and I over extended myself and started to fall. I remember thinking that if I'd had another hand to catch myself, I'd be fine. And then I did have it.

"The wifey wasn't too happy about it. I could have stayed with the circus, but what was the point? I was getting all the freak parts. It was pretty clear that's all there was. I went Elite for a while, then XWF. It was all empty shilling for baselines, though. Gradually, I woke up to reality and started looking for something better.

"I would randomally add another arm or leg, over time. By then, I was really a freak to the common man. Find someone who didn't care what I looked like, and has the right idea about how things go, anyway," Geo finished, taking a drink of beer.

There was a moment of silence before Garden said, "I just like the Harvesters. Their beliefs echo my own experiences. I was treated with fear and suspicion just for being a nova. It's just going to get worse. That's my take on things."

*Worse? Are you talking socially or politically?* Monster asked.

"I'm talking worse in all ways, Monster," Garden said. "Soon, we're going to be facing genocide. Well, soon by our standards. A century or so, on the outside."

"We need for them to be in their place before that," Vesuvius grumbled around a mouthful of steamed peas. "We need to press them under our boot." He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular; he seemed to be listening to his own voice. "It's them or us."

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Vesuvius

"We need for them to be in their place before that," Vesuvius grumbled around a mouthful of steamed peas. "We need to press them under our boot." He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular; he seemed to be listening to his own voice. "It's them or us."

Having swallowed its lamb, Tannin moved in closer to the gathering and cut Vesuvius off before he could continue his diatribe.

"Them or us?" it asked, looking hard at Vesuvius before casting its gaze over the rest of those gathered as well.

"Why isn't there room enough for both our kinds, eh, Vesuvius? How much room do you need to feel safe and comfortable in this world, anyway?"

The dragon dropped to its haunches behind, and to one side, of Vesuvius as it spoke. As it was asking its questions, Tannin's tail began to slide along the ground behind it, curving around the table until, just it was finishing its questions, its tail came up on the other side of Vesuvius and gently brushed against the legs of his chair.

"I take up far more room than you do, little nova", said the dragon, not without some humor, "and I do not feel crowded by the baselines, so neither should you."

Uncurling its tail from around the table, Tannin continued, "or do you mean you feel threatened by the humans?
"If that is the case, then I must ask you why?

"They are tiny, unintelligent, and fearful, and they are a divided species. They are mice. I do not fear mice", Tannin said dismissively, "I don't even eat them. I tread where they cannot, I live where they cannot, I do what they cannot, I am what they can never be."

Tannin gazed at Vesuvius and Garden for moment longer and then added, "they are beneath us. Prove it to them, if you must, but you are wasting your time."

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Vesuvius

"We need for them to be in their place before that," Vesuvius grumbled around a mouthful of steamed peas. "We need to press them under our boot." He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular; he seemed to be listening to his own voice. "It's them or us."

Having swallowed its lamb, Tannin moved in closer to the gathering and cut Vesuvius off before he could continue his diatribe.

"Them or us?" it asked, looking hard at Vesuvius before casting its gaze over the rest of those gathered as well.

"Why isn't there room enough for both our kinds, eh, Vesuvius? How much room do you need to feel safe and comfortable in this world, anyway?"

The dragon dropped to its haunches behind, and to one side, of Vesuvius as it spoke. As it was asking its questions, Tannin's tail began to slide along the ground behind it, curving around the table until, just it was finishing its questions, its tail came up on the other side of Vesuvius and gently brushed against the legs of his chair.

"I take up far more room than you do, little nova", said the dragon, not without some humor, "and I do not feel crowded by the baselines, so neither should you."

Uncurling its tail from around the table, Tannin continued, "or do you mean you feel threatened by the humans?
"If that is the case, then I must ask you why?

"They are tiny, unintelligent, and fearful, and they are a divided species. They are mice. I do not fear mice", Tannin said dismissively, "I don't even eat them. I tread where they cannot, I live where they cannot, I do what they cannot, I am what they can never be."

Tannin gazed at Vesuvius and Garden for moment longer and then added, "they are beneath us. Prove it to them, if you must, but you are wasting your time."

[z-Monster]

"Fear?" For the first time Vesuvius seemed to be aware of the others in the room. "No, I don't fear them. I hate them. I want them gone, so that we can have all there is to have - for my people, the true people. We saved the world for them, and yet they hate us for it. I don't allow mice to live in my house; why would I allow baselines to live in my world?"

"They did wreck things pretty good before we fixed them," Garden added. "Pollution, wars - granted, it's not completely fixed, but things are better, if you're a zip. It's harder for novas."

"To a degree," Angel said softly, playing with a leaf of lettuce before eating it. "We are in a better position than most baselines. They're not novas; they aren't gifted." She looked at Monster and said, "I pity them. Sadly, my presence has a detrimental effect on them." Monster tilted her head and Angel rightly interpreted the gesture. "I drive anyone without a node insane over long periods of exposure. I had wanted to be the ones to meet you, but we limit my presence above among our zips."

Medusa added, "Things are as they are, between us and the humans. I'm more concerned with providing a haven for those of us not welcome among the humans." Her fingers curled around a tentacle, which in turn curled around the finger; it was a subconscious gesture. The issue of safe havens seemed to be personal to Medusa. "So long as the humans give us the space that we need, I'm content to let them be. Given their history, I'm not sure that they will be content to leave us alone."

*If we were human, aren't humans potential novas?* Monster asked Garden, going over a question that novas had been asking each other since the release of the Null Manifesto. *Shouldn't we try to protect them, to get the majority of novas that we can?*

"Sure, Monster," Garden answered, "humans are potential novas. But latency tests, while able to tell us who can become novas, never tell us who will. So that leads us to how far should we bend to the humans to protect future novas? Even if we found a way to track all the latents, would we allow them to commit crimes upon our rights and dignity just in case they erupt? We have to draw a line between holding the door open for new novas and defending ourselves."

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Vesuvius

"Fear?" For the first time Vesuvius seemed to be aware of the others in the room. "No, I don't fear them. I hate them. I want them gone, so that we can have all there is to have - for my people, the true people. We saved the world for them, and yet they hate us for it. I don't allow mice to live in my house; why would I allow baselines to live in my world?"

Originally Posted By: Medusa

"They did wreck things pretty good before we fixed them," Garden added. "Pollution, wars - granted, it's not completely fixed, but things are better, if you're a zip. It's harder for novas."

Tannin listened carefully to the smaller novas while they spoke.

"Who is this we?", it asked. "Firstly, I find it hard to believe that the world would have suddenly ceased to exist had 'we' refused to 'save' it upon our emergence. Secondly, I am fairly certain that no one here had any part in what 'saving' of the world there has been. Thirdly, from what little I know of the baseline world, and that is - I admit - very little, the baselines do love the ones who have 'saved' the world for them. They hate many of you because you have saved nothing - or nothing that they can see - and because you proudly proclaim to be moving beyond and past them."

Tannin took a brief moment to find a comfortable position to lie down in, curling itself up like a gigantic dog, cat, or serpent, and then it continued. "And while we are moving beyond them, we all started out as one of them."

"Don't any of you understand? They didn't pollute the world, we did. They didn't wage endless war, we did. And this is true because they are what we were, and we are what many of them might one day become. Only the children of the One Race can claim differently. Any guilt we wish to lay at the feet of the baselines, we must also lay at our own feet as well."

At Angel's declaration that she'd wished to be among those who greeted them, Tannin dipped its head and responded, "that is touching, Angel. Thank you."

Then it listened as Medusa explained to Monster her position on the situation between baselines and novas, and how important any potentially latent novas were in the equation. Seeming genuinely interested in her thoughts, it asked, "and where do you feel that line is, Medusa?"

[z-Monster]

Vesuvius listened politely to Tannin, then stood up. "I have no more appetite," he said in his inhumanly deep voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Tannin, Monster. It was good to meet you. Excuse me." His fissued face completely unreadable, but his body language was stiff as he left the room.

"I am not who I was as a baseline," Garden said stubbornly to Tannin. "Do not blame me for being dumb and short-sighted. My problem is that the zips persist in believing that they aren't lesser than they are. I don't fear them, but I won't kowtow to them, either." Her green eyes flashed with anger as she added, "I shed that life a long time ago, and I won't go back to it, not to assume guilt. I was blind, and now I have vision. I can make real choices now."

"That doesn't absolve us for previous crimes," Angel said simply. "I know my views don't match many of the Harvesters, but we have to be open to baselines as much as we can. They may not love us anymore, or they may get to the point where they hate us if they don't already. It's what I've been saying for a while now."

Geo sighed. "It's nothing we're going to agree to, ladies. I don't know why we have to rehash this."

"There's a prize, this time," Medusa said, nodding at Monster. "I don't mean to make it so impersonal, but we don't always get to express our views to such a clean slate, to someone who is new as both a nova and a person. We may not mean to do so, but I think we're all hoping to get a recruit."

Tannin's question about the line drew a frown from Garden. "That's a hard call. I would tend to favor those who are already novas; we know that they are there, what their needs are, while with the latents, we can't know that they'll ever erupt. So I draw the line closer to the novas than the latents."

[Tannin]

Originally Posted By: Vesuvius

Vesuvius listened politely to Tannin, then stood up. "I have no more appetite," he said in his inhumanly deep voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Tannin, Monster. It was good to meet you. Excuse me." His fissued face completely unreadable, but his body language was stiff as he left the room.

Tannin watched the angry nova go, and was annoyed. Too prideful, and a liar - it had most certainly not been "good" to meet them, that much was obvious. Breifly, it considered attacking the annoyingly little nova and forcing it to submit, but that was only its instinctive, feral side showing forth, and Tannin knew that letting it loose without a directed purpose did no one any good. So it let the liar go.

Originally Posted By: Garden

"I am not who I was as a baseline," Garden said stubbornly to Tannin. "Do not blame me for being dumb and short-sighted. My problem is that the zips persist in believing that they aren't lesser than they are. I don't fear them, but I won't kowtow to them, either." Her green eyes flashed with anger as she added, "I shed that life a long time ago, and I won't go back to it, not to assume guilt. I was blind, and now I have vision. I can make real choices now."

"You are missing missing the point, Garden", answered Tannin with a patience as immense, and seemingly slow, as it was, "which is that blaming anyone does no good. If you see a problem, then fix it, but why waste time complaining about it?"

It shifted its position, making an eerily small amount of noise as it did so, and lifted its neck several feet upwards as it continued. "You challenge me for laying blame at your feet, and deny your own heritage while I speak the simple truth, and offer to share your burden with you. You speak of fighting against oppressors in one breath, while condemning them for being small and useless the next. Which is it? Are they oppressors? Or are they small and useless? Because no oppressor is small, and if he is, those he oppresses rise up and crush him. You speak of running from your heritage, while I speak of claiming your birthright!"

Tannin lowered his head again, until its eyes were more on a level with those at the table, and said, "why does this make you angry?"

Originally Posted By: Medusa

Tannin's question about the line drew a frown from Garden. "That's a hard call. I would tend to favor those who are already novas; we know that they are there, what their needs are, while with the latents, we can't know that they'll ever erupt. So I draw the line closer to the novas than the latents."

Tannin listened attentively as she spoke, nodding its great head slowly in agreement. "I agree", it said. "So long as we remember that there are latents on the other side of that line."