May I Enjoy My Life: Entry 28

Entry 33, Day 75

Well, it finally happened, and I had to change my underwear. I’m not even embarrassed. Well, not about the underwear. The rest of it was real fucking embarrassing. 

As per usual, the day started off normal enough. I went down to get my levels checked, this time with Dr. Silence observing and taking notes. She asked a lot of questions about how frequently this was done, what my rate of metabolization was, so on and so forth. I tried to answer but Sussurro talked for me and Silence told me that “I was the patient, not the doctor” which is true I guess, and we doctors are supposed to make the worst patients. 

Then, a round in the oncology department. Cancer isn’t really Rhodes Island’s specialty, but there were things I could do to help our handful of cancer patients. Sussurro was able to help cut out a few small masses and then I healed them up, then we had a long surgery where someone had bone cancer, and I did a full treatment of regrowing their marrow. It was a long and grisly process, but the prognosis seemed to be good at the end of the surgery, so it was high fives all around. 

After that, I was running real low on arts, so as a special treat, we went to have lunch on the roof. By “we” I mean me, Sussurro, Kroos, and Lava. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but Lava wears a mask nearly all the time. I used to think Lava the Purgatory had on a visor, but then realized it was her bangs. This Lava, however, keeps a real visor. Something about it helped to focus her arts, it was a lot of gobbldy gook to me when she explained it all. 

It was a rather humid day, with clouds in the sky, and the chance of rain on towards evening. It was the middle of the day though, so we put up an umbrella and had some cold cuts. Kroos and Lava didn’t sit with Sussurro and I, staying on alert. Kroos was watching the landscape as it rolled bye, squinting and scanning for threats, while Lava watched the rest of the deck.

“Eyes up, we got company,” Lava growled, nodding her head. 

I tensed up until the excited chatter of children’s voices reached my ears. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones taking a holiday on the roof. A gaggle of young children bounced onto the deck, where they proceeded to have a picnic. I recognized Andrey, Arseniy, and Kirill and waved to them. They waved back, but were busy chatting with their friends; Suzuran and some other kids their age.

“It’s good to know life goes on,” Sussurro commented, smiling at the children. 

I nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. I know you want some, I just…I dunno. Kids are a big responsibility, you know?”

Sussurro blinked. We hadn’t brought this up since she’d revealed she hadn’t been using birth control. We were faithfully using protection, which isn’t 100%, but it’s good enough, and she hadn’t complained or tried to convince me. 

“What’s this? You thinking of starting a family?” Kroos said, not looking away from her scanning of the horizon. 

Lava grunted and turned her head slightly towards us, but it was hard to know where she was looking with that visor on. 

“I would like to start a family, yes,” Sussurro said slowly. “I thought you were opposed to the idea, though.”

“I mean, sorta? How long am I even going to be here?” I said, holding up my right hand. It has visible lesions and crystals, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been, though it did visibly tremble. 

Gently, Sussurro took my hand in both of hers and kissed it. “Part of the reason I’m thinking of doing so is because I don’t know how long you’ll be here.”

“I couldn’t leave you and a baby, not in good conscience,” I said, rubbing the back of my head with my left hand. 

Lava grunted, and I glanced at her. “See? She knows what I mean.”

“Growing up in poverty sucks, but you’re both doctors. Plus, this is Rhodes Island. We take care of kids,” Lava said, nodding at the children. I noticed that the minders were a group of teens: Ceobe, Popukar, Bubble, and Vermile. Ceobe was clowning around and making the kids laugh in between stuffing her face, while Popukar was trying to help a little boy who looked to be about four and was crying because he had spilled his milk. 

“I don’t think we’d have to worry about poverty,” Sussurro said dryly. “Our salaries aren’t fantastic, but Rhodes Island does offer paid maternity leave.”

“Ok, so, like, what about your career? What would you do if you were a mom?” I asked, sipping at my flask of iced tea. 

“I’d keep working, obviously. I would take a little time off to have the baby, but as you can see, there is childcare,” Sussurro said, gesturing to the children. 

“Hate to interrupt, but do you lot recognize that drone?” Kroos said, shading her eyes and pointing towards the sun. 

I couldn’t see a thing, but Lava turned around and peered as well. “Hmm. Could be one of ours, looks like a standard surveillance unit.”

“I suppose. It’s just been hovering there for the past few minutes. And there’s that caravan…” Kroos pointed, to a collection of three vehicles with markings on them I’d come to know indicated they were Victorian messenger vehicles. “And there’s a VTOL coming in. Air ambulance. It’s been cleared by control, but…”

“But you got a funny feeling,” Lava said, grimacing. “And with the brats up here, it’s so noisy I can’t really detect much. Head inside?”

“Afraid so. Sorry, loves, I don’t want to alarm you, but better safe than sorry, yeah?” Kroos said, reaching for the umbrella. 

I sighed and stood up, reaching a hand down to help Sussurro. 

Which was when all hell broke loose. 

There hadn’t been one drone hovering about. A flight of six suddenly zipped up from where they’d been hiding around the landship, and opened fire. Shots sprayed off the decking, and I swore as Sussurro tackled me to the ground. Kroos had her crossbow off her back in an instant and took one of the drones on the wing with her first shot, causing it to spiral away. 

At the same time, that VTOL roared in, making not for the flight deck, but the upper deck where we were!

And, to my utter horror, three forms decloaked from where they’d been hiding on the flight deck. They had on tall, brimmed hats that I knew were called triblys, and their armor was the color of ash. Tribly Ashers. The elite special ops forces of Victoria. Or, more specifically as I would learn shortly, the Duke of Caster. 

All three teleported right up to us, even as Lava swore and got off a cast of purple energy. She got one Tribly in the chest, but they didn’t go down, instead swinging a blade that took Lava across the chest and sending her down in a spray of blood. I screamed, and so did Sussurro. The other two grabbed us, then raced over to the railing that was only feet away. Kroos had swung her crossbow around and fired, but her shot was deflected by the Asher. She tried to reload, but she took a slash on the leg and went down as well. 

That was probably the time when I wet myself. I was trapped in the Asher’s grip, and they were racing for the VTOL that was heading right for us. 

“Doite kudasai!” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Suzuran jump up, all nine of her tails standing bristle straight behind her. She had both her hands extended to her side, a look of intense concentration on her normally sweet face. 

A blue light washed over the entire field, and the Tribly Ashers froze. Or, well, not froze, but began to move in extremely exaggerated slow motion. I was somehow able to move normally, as was Sussurro, and we tried to free ourselves, but to no avail, as we were roughly collared. 

Kroos and Lava gasped, their wounds rapidly knitting themselves shut. Lava snarled and began to cast, while Kroos drew her machete, her eyes wide open, a snarl of rage on her lips. “Where do you think you’re going?!” 

Darting forward, she brought her machete down with both hands onto the back of the Tribly holding me. His armor was strong, so she didn’t land a lethal blow, but she did knock him sideways. 

The one holding Susuran began to slowly turn, drawing their blade, fighting against Suzuran’s arts. Suddenly, a perro with I swear to God, black flames in her eyes, darted forward, a manic grin on her lips. “My prey!” 

Ceobe held up what looked like plastic flatware knives, then threw them at the Tribly holding me. The knives ignited in midair and impacted with far more force than they should have. Hot blood sprayed over me, and I tasted iron in my mouth to my disgust and horror. Lava finished her own casting with a cry of, “Mak’at’eli!” and my captor’s wounds began to burn from within as they contorted in pain. 

The other kids hadn’t been holding still either. Bubble had charged forward, lowering her horn and ramming it right into the Tribly holding Sussurro. Our foe began to fly back in comically slow motion, only for Bubble to jump up into the air, both hands clasped together over her head. She brought her fists down in a devastating overhand blow that slammed the Tribly into the decking hard enough to bounce, only they did so once more as though stuck in time. Bubble grabbed Sussurro, even as Kroos collared me and began to haul me away. 

“Everyone, down! Keep your heads down!” Popukar was shouting, grabbing several screaming children and hauling them down on the decking. 

The last Asher, with a painful grunt, somehow broke free of Suzuran’s arts. She let out a cry and slumped down, her tails drooping. The blue light faded, and the last Tribly teleported right behind me and Kroos. I braced myself for a blade through Kroo’s chest, and she clearly thought she was dead as well when a wet squelching sound followed by a cough of surprise. 

“Hmph. You lose.”

We both turned to see the Tribly slump over, a knife sticking out through his guts. Projekt Red had appeared there as if from nowhere, a grin on her blood spattered face. 

There was a roar overhead, and all heads looked up as the last VTOL swooped in. Its cannon began to spin up, and I hit the deck for a second time as Kroos body slammed me down. 

But before the thing could fire, there was a loud bang, and the metal of the VTOL dented as if the fist of God had struck it. It went spinning down and slammed into the dirt in a spray of soil, though it didn’t explode. The drones, however, did, though they more imploded as if invisible hands had clapped together over them.

Rosmontis walked forward, a serene expression on her face. She glanced over the rail, and I was at an angle where I could see the three vehicles below. They were trying to peel away now, though there was shouting and weapons turning. 

“No,” Rosmontis said, and the wheels were ripped off all three vehicles. The spun and tumbled, one flipping end over end and another spinning on its side, while the third rammed into the ground with a loud crunch. 

“You come with Red now,” Red told me, grabbing me and dragging me towards the elevator. 

“I, I’m coming too!” Suzuran said, scrambling after us. “I can help!” 

Red glanced at her, then at Rosmontis, who had helped up Sussurro and was briskly walking towards us. The feline glanced at the kitsune girl, then nodded. “She’s strong. And trustworthy. She can accompany us.”

“Ok. You come. Keep Bones man safe,” Red ordered, and Suzuran eagerly nodded. I was dragged inside by Red, who is a hell of a lot stronger than a waif like her has any right to be. We hadn’t gone too far before Texas dashed up, her two swords on her hip. She assessed the situation at a glance and took charge. 

“Get them to their quarters. Injuries?”

“Me and Lava,” Kroos panted, limping slightly. “Suzuran fixed us right up, though.”

“Only the bad guys were hurt,” Lisa said, nodding soberly. “Sorry, they were too strong, and I wasn’t fast enough.”

“Fine. Threats are neutralized?” Texas asked as we continued to hurry down the hall. 

“There was a VTOL and some drones. And three vehicles. There may be survivors,” Rosmontis said in a tone I would have used to say I’d just swatted an insect. “I was told we should keep a few survivors to interrogate in situations like this.”

“Good. Another squad will handle that,” Texas said with a nod. Sussurro and I were hauled into our rooms, where Texas ordered Red and Rosemontis to keep a lookout on the outside, while she stepped inside with us. Kroos and Lava were ordered to keep on standby. Lisa was brought inside, her face stony and serious. Not a good look for someone who looked like they belonged in elementary school.

Sussurro and I were just standing in the doorway, trembling, when the door slid shut. 

“Lucia, Bones, couch,” Texas ordered, pointing. She practically dragged us over, then seated us. She ran her hands first over me. Not roughly, but gently, clearly probing for injuries. 

“You’re bleeding,” Texas commented. She pointed. “First aid kit in the WC.”

“I got it!” Lisa gasped and ran to the bathroom, reappearing in a few moments. “Don’t worry, I have good healing arts, Bones Sensei.”

More blue light washed over me, and the headwound I had at the back of my skull knitted itself together. Texas was inspecting Sussurro, who had a sprained ankle and was holding her arm, which seemed to be broken. 

“I’ll handle that,” I said, taking her arm gently. She had a hairline fracture on her left radius, which I mended fast enough. She had sprained her left lateral ligament in her foot, and I mended that as well. After that, Sussurro burst into tears and hugged me, and I held her tight.

“Wow, you got really good healing arts, Sensei. Can you use them again? I wanna watch,” Lisa asked curiously when Sussurro calmed down and I held her while she dabbed at her eyes. 

“Only if someone is hurt,” I said quietly. 

“Ok! I’ll get Kroos and Lava,” Lisa said brightly. 

Before we could stop her, Lisa ran out, then Lava and Kroos pounded in, looking around wildly. 

“What’s the problem?” Lava demanded, purple energy around her fists. 

“Sensei will heal you, so I can see!” Lisa said brightly. 

Kroos and Lava relaxed slightly, and I sighed and got up. They were mostly healed, but there was still some damage. I healed Lava first, repairing her gut completely. 

“Damn, those are good arts,” Lava muttered, then nodded at me. “Thanks, Bones.”

“I see! Let me try!” Lisa said eagerly. 

Before we could stop her, she grabbed Kroos, sticking her tongue out and biting it slightly in a very cute fashion. 

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, Suzuran copied my healing arts. Lava’s wound mostly vanished in a flash of white light.

“Gomen'nasai, sorry! I don’t think I did it right,” Lisa said with a sigh, stepping back. Her ears had wilted slightly, and she hung her head. 

Sussurro jumped up and grabbed Kroos, examining the injury. “Le orecchie pelose e la coda folta della nonna! James, she, did she?!”

I took Kroos’ leg gently and ran my hand over it. “It’s not fully repaired, no. Try again, Lisa.”

“Hai!” She put her hands on Kroos wound, which had turned into a thin red line and was nearly completely healed. We held her breath as Lisa bit her tongue again, brow furrowed in concentration as she healed. Slowly, the wound was re-knit. Not as perfectly as I could have done it, but I could feel Suzuran re-grow the tissue. There was no scar when she was done, just like when I used my arts. 

“Hontōni gomen'nasai, this is…this is all I…can do,” Lisa gasped, then would have collapsed if Sussurro and Kroos hadn’t grabbed her. 

“Arts overdose,” Sussurro pronounced. She took out a needle and jabbed it in Lisa’s bicep. The girl flinched, but her breathing slowed, and her face relaxed slightly. Sussurro gently laid her down on the couch, while I hurried to the fridge and brought her some sports drinks. We pushed fluids on her, and I nodded. 

“She’s young, she’ll bounce back, right?” I asked Sussurro quietly. 

“She should. But she pushed herself very hard. But, James…she did copy your arts, didn’t she? I thought…I thought that was impossible.”

“It was only a scratch, really. I’d have been fine in a day or two,” Kroos said, kneeling by the couch and smoothing away a lock of blonde hair. “You didn’t have to do it, love.”

“I just…I wanted…wanted to be…like Sensei…” Lisa sighed. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly. “Now…now I can cure oripathy too…”

“”Absolutely not!”” Sussurro and I shouted at the same time. We exchanged horrified looks, then Sussurro took a deep breath. 

“Those aren’t the arts to cure oripathy. Although…James! Get the testing kit!” 

I hurried to the bedroom, then brought back the equipment we kept there to test my levels before bed and when I woke up. I didn’t seem to metabolize originium in my sleep, only when I used arts, but we were keeping track just to be sure. 

Sadly, Lisa was all too familiar with getting her levels checked, and had a small port like most oripathy patients for a quick blood draw. Sussurro put it into the machine, and we waited. 

“Point-one-seven units per liter,” Sussurro pronounced.

“Sumimasen, Sussurro-Sensei, but that is wrong. It should be .18,” Lisa whispered.

Sussurro dropped the testing kit, though Texas caught it before it hit the ground. I had to grab her before she collapsed, and she was trembling all over. 

“Ha, ha, hahaha!” Sussurro cackled. She grabbed my shirt. “James, James do you know what this MEANS?!”

“I think I do,” I said slowly. “But I think we need to call, like…everybody.”

We put in a call to Kal’tsit first over the radio. 

“This is the Director. What is the situation?” she said, her tone brisk.

“Director, you need to drop whatever you are doing and come to our quarters. Right now,” Sussurro gasped.

“Copy.” The radio clicked off, and we went to crouch by the couch. Lisa had dozed off, her chest rising and falling softly. 

“Ok, so, for those of us who aren’t doctors, can someone please explain what just happened?” Kroos said, sounding rather shaken. 

“I understood it perfectly. What I don’t get is how the fu-udge Lisa copied his arts,” Lava growled. “I’ve seen Bones use them dozens of times. Now granted, my healing arts are shit-taki mushrooms, but I don’t even understand how the…oh, darn it, how the heck did she do that?!” 

“I’ve tried a hundred times to copy what James does, and I’ve never managed it,” Sussurro said, gently laying a blanket over Lisa. “However…I’m a vulpo. Not a kitsune. She’s an Elder Race. And a nine-tailed kitsune at that. Maybe she-”

The door was ripped off its hinges, and I may have screamed like a little girl as a great green insect demon swarmed into the room. Lisa jumped up and raised a shaky hand that glowed blow, but Sussurro hugged her tight and whispered, “No, it’s alright.”

Through the hole she’d just made, Kal’tsit walked calmly. She glanced around at us, mouth in a thin line. 

“It seems we experienced a failure of communication.” She lifted a radio to her mouth. “Cancel the all-hands order. Return to your posts. False alarm.” Pocketing the radio, Kal’tsit nodded to Monst3r, who shrank down, but did not vanish, instead slithering outside to fill the breach in the wall where the door had been. 

“Dr. Sussurro. When, in the midst of a crisis, you tell me to drop whatever it is I am doing and come to you immediately, my mind goes to dark places. Indeed, I made the assumption that Dr. McCoy was either dead or dying, and you were under attack by additional enemy forces. I would ask you to more carefully select your words, the next time you-”

“Lisa just used my arts to heal Kroos,” I interrupted.

Kal’tsit stopped in mid-sentence, mouth actually hanging open. Slowly, she closed her mouth, then walked over to kneel in front of the still rather terrified little girl. 

“Lisa. Tell me exactly what it is you did,” Kal’tsit said quietly. 

“I, I…Moushiwake arimasen!” Lisa gasped, bowing her head. 

Kal’tsit’s mouth quirked in a smile. “Do not apologize. You have done no wrong. It is I who should apologize to you, Lisa-chan. Sumimasen. Now, please. How did you do this?”

“Um, I…I just…I could, well, I could sort of…hear…what Bones-Sensei did,” Lisa admitted. “Um, when he used his arts…it was very strange. It was like…like he was speaking to the body. Commanding it to heal. So, ah, I tried the same thing. But, it wouldn’t listen as well to me, I didn’t know how to ask properly.” She bowed her head again. “Gomen'nasai, Director-Sama.”

Slowly, Kal’tsit stood up, blinking a few times. “I…see. But I have not…how…This requires further investigation. Sleep, child. You will need your rest.”

Lisa nodded weakly, and Kal’tsit passed her hand over Lisa’s eyes. There was a faint green glow, and Lisa began to breathe evenly. 

“She also dropped her infection level I think,” Sussurro whispered. “She…she metabolized the originium when she copied James’ arts.”

“Ah.” Kal’tsit was quiet for a moment, then she tilted her head back, closing her eyes. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, and a moment later, her body began to shake. Kroos and Lava were crying as well, holding on to one another, though Kroos was giggling. Actually, Sussurro was crying as well, and I quickly drew her too me. 

“James, James do you understand?! Santi e angeli, this…this changes everything!” 

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I…I’m not unique. And if she can learn that…then someone could learn to cure oripathy, too.”

“It is a step. It is proof. It is everything I could have wished for,” Kal’tsit said, her voice raw with emotion, tears still streaming down her face. She knelt and gently kissed Lisa’s forehead. “And this child…this child shall be the first. Truly, she is Our Light.”

Shaking her head, Kal’tsit picked up the radio. “Locate Maria Nearl and get her to the executive level immediately.”

That was about the time I noticed I’d wet myself, so I excused myself to the bedroom to wash up and change. By the time I got back out, Blemishine had arrived. She had her hair up in a ponytail and her face and hands were a bit black with grease and soot, and she was wearing a very unflattering pair of overalls with a Rhodes Island shirt underneath.

She also had a giant glowing sword and a determined expression, so I hazarded that she didn’t think she’d been called because we needed something fixed. 

“You do not need your sword, Maria,” Kal’tsit said, shaking her head. “Remind me, how are your healing arts?”

“Uh, fine, Director?” Blemishine said, her sword’s glow fading before she put it on a sheath on her back. She frowned over at the sleeping Lisa, then at me. “May I ask, what is this about? The entire landship, it is like a kicked speckling nest! We had the engines at combat speed when you called me up.”

“James, come here. Maria, watch carefully,” Kal’tsit ordered. Then she drew a scalpel and cut a long line across the back of her arm. 

Maria let out a horrified gasp, but Kal’tsit ignored that. “Watch closely, Maria. James, heal me.”

I complied, and the wound soon vanished. 

“I, Director, why did you show me this?” Maria demanded, still looking shocked and disgusted. 

“Did you see the arts?” Kal’tsit demanded. 

“I, well, yes, I did,” Maria admitted. “But why-”

“Can you replicate them?” Kal’tsit pressed. 

“Replicate?” Maria blinked, then looked at me, then at the perfectly mended arm. “I…well, perhaps?”

Without flinching, Kal’tsit cut herself again. “Try. Do not use your normal arts. Replicate what you saw.”

Hesitantly, Blemishine took Kal’tsit’s arm. She examined it, then sighed. “I am sorry, I was too shocked. I did not get a good look. Please, I will watch closely this time.”

I nodded and healed the cut, only for Kal’tsit to immediately cut herself again.

“Jesus, Director. We could just find someone with a cut and have her heal them,” I muttered. “No need to self harm.”

“You are manifestly capable of healing me if this experiment proves fruitless. Maria?” 

“I did see the arts…they are very strange…it is like…like you are commanding the body to heal? No, like…reading it a recipe? I am sorry, I do not have the Victorian to say…” Maria pursed her lips, then put her finger to Kal’tsit’s wound. She clearly tried to use arts, but nothing happened. After a few moments, she suddenly sighed and slumped over. Texas had to catch her, and Sussurro was at her side in an instant.

“Arts overdose. But I didn’t detect any arts use,” she pronounced after a quick exam. 

“She is uninfected,” Kal’tsit said with a nod. “Pity. She is the only other Elder race aboard with any grasp of healing arts.”

“You think the key is that Suzuran is an infected Elder Race?” I asked, frowning. “That would leave…Ch’en, Ceobe, the Nearls, Hellagur, and…um, well…Ho’ol.”

“There are other options, but Elder races are rare, and…hmm…perhaps a Sankta…” Sussurro muttered. 

“For now, this is enough. We will bring this to the medical panel as soon as Dr. Sussurro can compile a report,” Kal’tsit said.

“I’ll get on it immediately!” Surrurro declared and dashed over to her workstation, where she began to type furiously. 

Kal’tsit looked at the sleeping Lisa, and now Maria, who had been put in our bed for now to recover. She watched them for a moment, then shook her head. “I will order your door replaced. This is an unexpected development, but it is, perhaps, the breakthrough we need. More data will need to be collected, but it is now unequivocal that your arts can be replicated, or at least, the healing portion can. If we can also replicate the drawing of oripathy from the subject…”

“You can’t ask Maria to infect herself, or Lisa to make hers worse,” I said quietly. 

“And I shall not. There are Elders with healing arts I know of. I just…why can I not use this ability?” Kal’tsit murmured. She began to face, brow furrowed in thought, hands collapsed behind her back. 

Sussurro stopped typing and leaned back in her chair to regard Kal’tsit, while Texas had posted herself by the door and was sharpening her sword. Kroos and Lava had been relieved, but Projeket Red and Rosemontis were guarding us now, so I think we had that part covered. 

After a minute or two of pacing, Kal’tsit paused in her pacing and turned to look at Lisa again. “Do you know the origin of the Elder races?”

“I…well, the best theory is that they evolved from species with a high amount of native arts in them,” Sussurro said.

“This theory is, to a degree, correct, but it makes an error. The Elder races did not evolve. They were created with intent,” Kal’tsit said, her eyes still focused on Lisa. 

Sussurro and I both stayed silent, but Texas was no longer sharpening her sword, both ears having perked up. 

“I speak of this so that you might know what I do, and perhaps help me arrive at a conclusion. Would that my Father were here…but alas, we must make do for now. You see, the Elder races were created by my own progenitors. They were made in the image of mythological creatures from the past of that civilization, the names of which became the names of the Elder races themselves. They were formed and tasked as servitors, much as I was. Their task was to oversee the terraforming of Terra itself, along with various projects. They were given…they were given…”

Kal’tsit paused. “Never mind. I seem to be prattling on. Twenty words or less, as you said, Bones?”

“No, uh, keep going,” I urged. 

“Another time. Ah, the maintenance crew is here. See to the door. I have tasks to attend to,” Kal’tsit said, then hurried off. 

I went to kneel beside Lisa, watching her breathe as she slept. Sussurro slipped out of her chair and came to crouch beside me, and I put my arm around her shoulder and she leaned into me. 

“I do want one,” she whispered to me. 

I nodded. “Yeah. I…sort of do too. And if this works…Maybe I don’t have to die.”

“You never did.”

“Yeah, I just…I dunno. Assumed I would.”

We sat there for a long time, then Sussurro got up and got back to work. I didn’t have much to do, so I sat down and wrote all this down. 

Fuck, man. First, I get saved by a bunch of little girls, then I get shown up by one. 

The kids are alright, you know?