TLDR; Vel learns to drive from their brother, and talks about the other things Vel has been trying to learn and improve at.

Blake: "okay, so the top is park, then reverse, neutral..."
Vel: "I'm a new driver not an idiot."
Blake: "Okay, then let's try backing up"
Vel tries to move the gear shift, to no avail. They try shifting it left and right, before giving out a frustrated huff.
Blake reaches over Vel, and turns the key in the ignition, starting his car

The siblings share a look that conveyed a thousand previous arguments.

With a huff Vel put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot.

Blake: "I don't get why you think you need to learn to drive now. You take the bus everywhere, and Chicago has pretty good transit. You don't even own a car"
Vel: "It's just in case. Maybe for emergencies."

Blake gave a non-committal grunt.

Blake: "Thats a stop sign."

The car comes to a sudden halt, flinging Vel's necklace forward. It's a silver Caduseus. 

Blake: "That's new, finally want to start accessorizing? I thought you weren't into Jewelry. What was it you called it? A 'Shallow attempt to prove to others that you can also waste money' ?"

Vel: " Eyes on the road please".

Blake: "I'm serious. You've been dead set on who you are, and who you're going to be since you were 14. Now all of a sudden, you're changing. The driving, the new books, the practice conversations. I've only seen you focus this hard when you are talking med school things"

Blake: "Slow down here, sometimes people cross".

Vel: "I think I just... I became aware that there are some area's I'm weak in. I'm trying to expand."

Blake: "Yeah... I think it's good. I'm proud of you"

Vel punches Blakes shoulder with all their force. As usual, he barely notices.

It took 4 years to get to this point. Lots of late nights, and extra work. I'll finally be able to cross the stage. Get a well-paying residency at a good hospital. The cumulation of a particular path.

It feels hollow.

I experimented with the Caduceus, and the differences with it on and off. I'm pretty sure with it, anyone trained in first aid can do as well as I can after 4 years of med school. As well as I could in a surgical suite, when they just have a first aid kid.  I could make a lot more artifacts with the Caduceus effect. They don't seem to wear out. I make 1 of these and give it to a hospital, and they'll save more in a year than I could working for them. If I sold it, I'm pretty sure I could get more than I could in a year too. I learned to make it in a month and could make several a month if that is what I decided to devote all my resources to.

So much of what I was before matters less now. And I fucking love it. I'm going to be able to do so much more than I thought.

Blake is taking me to the gun range later. If I'm in this life, I got to be in it. Scruples about guns aren't worth the chance of failure it brings.

Was concerned after a few emails didn't get a response for a bit. Turns out she died mysteriously. On a contract almost certainly.

Fuck I did what I could. That necklace should have ensured that any doctor would be able to put her back together. Now it's who knows where.

That's gonna be me one day. Gone mysteriously, hopefully leaving behind a lot of tools. Tools that will save lives, and make the world better. Way better than I can.

I've done the math. Under reasonable assumptions, it makes sense to focus on making sure I can survive. And to be fair, Diana wasn't the most focused.

No, that's the bad way to think about it. It's a matter of odds. If you win 80% of the time, there is a 30% chance you won't fail once if you try 5 times. That's what contracts are, a gamble. And every time the gamble will make sense for the world. I can make the odds better, and that is my focus for the next few missions. If it increases my chance of surviving, it increases the expected good I can do.

I should do more. I'm gonna die too. I need to delay that as much as possible.

I'm gonna get Blake to give me some combat training.

And get some emergency first responder training.

I have a unique opportunity, I need to get every skill I can if it will keep me alive.

I need to talk to people a lot on contracts. I haven't really needed to much before this point in my life. But now, it's not just useful, it can literally be a matter of life or death. So I've taken up some improv.

Xem has been doing it for years, so I join her meetings (when I have time). I've also been reading books, and attending hospital trainings. Also attending some toast masters/ other miscellaneous. I've really been going all out, and I think it's been working. Turns out most of what you need to do in order to navigate the social world is to be nice, and pretend that things are fine. If I need to do this, I can learn it.

I need to learn it. But yeah, I've been doing some improv. Might join a Table top game that Xem is in. It feels silly, but I need to practice somehow, and this feels like it's working.

It's also a bit of a chance to relax. Pretend the world isn't relying on me.

I can type normally again finally. Dr. Laz built a tool for fixing missing body parts , scars etc. He gave me a copy after I sent him some of the armor I’ve been working on. Now I’m good as new!

There is some real synergy here. I’ve met some really powerful people, each with skills beyond almost anyone else. 

I need to think of ways to leverage that.

All the extra copies of my armor that I made turned out to be more useful than I thought!

Dr. Laz built me a disguise tool which he added on to my bracer, and Iktan (the person who saved my life in Indiana after a contract) built me a necklace that can summon a skeleton warrior. 

I think I'm beginning to have a team that I can count on. Don't know if their ultimate goals will conflict with mine, but for now, helping each other has made us all much better off.

Gotta think about what to make next with that in mind. I'm part of a small community now, and what I do is going to be a big part of if that community moves up the way I'd like it too. 

I've been working out more. I had given up on it a while back given my size, but with how fast I've been improving in other areas, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Turns out that being a contractor is a fantastic way to get fit. My muscles have grown a bit, I don't need to ask people to lift things for me anymore, and I'm feeling more like a normal person, and not an unusually small person. I've gotten maybe an inch or two of height as well. That has to be some magical shenanigans. 

That's been my main focus for the last while. I've been having trouble sleeping. The stress of the contracts, and the responsibility that I'm holding how was weighing me down. The stress and trauma of the contracts building up. Working out helped clear my mind some. It made thinking about what I was going to build next harder. I could feel my gift, waiting to be spent and expand my capabilities, but my brain couldn't focus.

Finally one night the stress made me sick. I spent the evening vomiting, and talking to my mirror about it, trying to pull myself out of the funk. At some point my gift was spent, and now my mirror is magic. It's good magic. I was able to use it to help out Dr. Laz and Iktan with similar issues they had.

A little bit feels like a waste, but I'm sleeping easier, and talking to folks easier. I suppose I'm just emotionally weak enough that I need something like this. Whatever. It will keep me going, so I can do my good work.

I've made it. The thing I've prepared for my entire time as a contractor. A cure for cancer, any disease. Probably dementia and a few others, although I haven't tested everything yet. The testing will come soon.

Give me a few contracts and I could probably make 10 more of them. Spread out through the world, have a team of 20 some people, maybe more rotating through, and every day that's 200 people per day saved from terminal illness. Get something like 200 people per device, and it's 2000. Have the individual themself or a family member, and the only limitation is how quickly people can move through a center holding them. A reasonably efficient center could get through 100 per hour each, operating 24 hours a day, saving 2400 lives per rod. With the 3 that I have, focusing on just cancer would end cancer. If we were paid $100 to $1000 per, we'd get multiple millions of dollars per day.

But people will disrupt the center. And steal the rod, hoarding it. Too many people.

I need to get secure enough that people won't be able to do that.

I've spent some time talking with other contractors I know. Making some deals, trades, and making plans.

I've been able to project myself more. I think accomplishing what I have has helped me relax some. All the sacrifices I've made are worth it.

I was back for maybe a few days, when someone tracked me down. Approached me at work. 

Used a name which Dr. Laz was familiar with, but I can already think of a dozen ways for someone malicious to get access to that information. Give me a few wins, and a goal, and I could get access to that information.


Anyway, I'm fleeing the country. Bye everyone! Xem is going to be hard to not see anymore. Maybe when I'm powerful enough/ have enough friends I'll be able to find a way to get her, and her partner out too.


But. Mission comes first. I've given up a lot of myself for this, what's one more thing.


Fuck this is going to suck.

4 or 5 people every few days. It can be so much more. That's what I'm working towards.

Laz had a talk with Edith. Laz trusts them....

Well. We scheduled a visit. They seem fine. A bit ... Naive, but nice.

Over enthusiastic in tracking me down, but... Didn't seem like they intended serious harm. 

So. I guess I burned up my home life for ... not as much as reason as I thought I'd have.

Well. Someone would have found me eventually anyway. So. Honestly, they did me a bit of a favor. 

We had a game night and played catan. 

I like them, and I think they will be useful. Ware seems smart, and Edith seems dangerous. We need that in our little group, we aren't strong enough on our own. 

I spend most of my time this month other that that crafting.

I've made some money I can live off with the crypto link, so I can spend all my time on research and making things.

I made 2 rods, and made them unbreakable. Gave one to Richter and the folks he trusts for the supernatural community. And gave one to A hospital I've help. I hope it doesn't get stolen.

I think I was pretty confident in my abilities before the last contract. In general, it went pretty well. But it was still dangerous, and we got lucky. 

I've been working on my driving and considering looking into getting some training to be a pilot. Planes come up surprisingly often in contracts, it would be good to learn how to use them. Tooks some basic wilderness survival courses as well. I have nothing but time now that I'm out here with Dr. Laz and the others.

Also spent some time doing some research helping him and a few others out. Turns out I'm reasonably good at that.  

I'm getting used to life in hiding. My creations are out in the world, saving people better than I ever could. I just need to keep making them, and not die.


I made a deal with a Bankston Battles. Got a method to contact him in the case of emergency, and some information on an organization he is in. All this in exchange for one of my prototype rods.

Seems like a worthwhile exchange. I'll be making a bunch of these soon.

Made a connection with one of the contractors from the last mission.

He had the ability to make some wings, an ability to make an extra arm, and was working on an ability to see into the past.

I gave him some potions of tongues and am going to add a Hippocratic armor enchantment to a suit of his.


There are so many people with strong magical gifts. I can trade with them to get nearly anything it feels like.

I think it's time for me to specialize. Even more than I have.

If I have the best in the world in a few things, I can trade for everything else, and do better than I can on my own.

Even now, most of my artifact's value comes from other people adding what they have made to it. 

If I can become the best at what I made, then trade it to everyone else ...

Making things is what I do. I need to take full advantage of that, and what I can get with it.

I reforged my bracer. Took a bit to get it to a forge, and the metal is tough to work. But I got it.

I don't have much in my life any more other than preparing for the next contract.

This month, that means taking more piloting classes and working in my workshop. 

I've done a little bit of work with my training, but at this point.... it doesn't really matter if I'm a doctor, or not a doctor. My job has been done, and everything significant in my life will come from attending contracts. 

I'm already to the point where each win will save more lives than I could have with my entire life on the normal path.

So. I learn to pilot. In case we need to use a plane again. So that I don't die, so that I can keep doing contracts, and keep saving lives.

I also spent a bit of time making some things for Laz, and a few others. It's been a bit since I made my first creation and doing it now... it's nice. 

I thought it would make the world so much better, and it's just a fraction of what I can do now.

Vel tosses their phone in the New York City harbor.  Wearing a new face. 

They make their way to a library, and from their manage to tell Laz to tell everyone they've been burned. Vel grimaces.

They will have to get new phone numbers to everyone.

Luckily they were already in hiding. This is just the burning of last shred of who they were. 

This is fine. Who they were isn't important. The work was important. 

They send the last few messages. 

They take out the Id Card Laz had given them. A few settings changed. It fits their new face. 

Good enough for them to get somewhere where someone can pick them up. Vel bites their lip.

It took them months to come up with Vel. Violet had been.... too feminine. But the V was nice. Their mother had....

Vel scowls. 

Blake liked the V. Wanted them to keep it. 

I'll never see him again

Or Xem. Or anyone from their past life. All they have is contracts now. To win, to continue the project.

Victor

Vel snorts. He looks down at his card. With shape shifting, he could... change pretty frequently. 

Victor... and Victoria

Victoria grinned down at her new card. Her mom would be so confused by her being a girl sometimes. Why change from Violet then?

Because that isn't who they are.

Victor puts his card back in his pocket.

He has a long journey ahead.

And a lot of people to save.

Vel gets back late again. Around 10 pm

It was maybe a week since the last contract. 

They get to the house, and collapse on the front porch.

They look uninjured. Their eyes are unfocused. Tired.

Shaken.

Jupiter and Edith burst out the front door. Jupiter nervously paces around Vel as Edith gets down on her knees and does a quick check over. She feels for Vel's pulse, checks their eyes. She snaps in Vel's face and whistles, holding their head up to look at Edith, looking for a reaction.

Vel blinks slowly. Then flinches back a little.

"Bad. Won. But. Brain bad. Sorry. Need sleep."

Edith still looks incredibly concerned. Wordlessly she picks Vel up and bridal carries them to their bed.

She holds a hand to their forehead to check their temperature.

Vel curls into Edith instinctively, relaxing into her chest.

Their temperature is normal. A little clammy.

Edith is a funny mix of soft and solid. She has a decent amount of fat on her bones, but you can also feel the muscle underneath it all. Where you can feel her skin, it's a tapestry of different textures. All sorts of old scars crossing along her.

Looking slightly less concerned at the temperature check, she signs,

"You present enough to read my signs?"

Vel blinks a few times. 

They nod. They keep leaning against Edith. 

"It. I'm. My mind. It. I need my Mirror..."

Vel blinks a few times. Suddenly a little weepy, as they remember that that refuge has been taken from them as well.

Edith lets them, frowning. She takes a deep breath, signs.

"Worry about that later. Tomorrow, you're staying in. If I see you trying to leave, I will magically bind you to the floor if I have to. I'm making you food, and you're going to tell me about I can help you fix this, okay?"

Vel looks up at Edith.

They nod. 

"Okay."

Edith smiles a little sadly. She just stays there for a bit.

"You want me to stick around? Or should I leave you alone to sleep?"

sleep with me. Don't leave. Please. I need someone to take care of me

"You don't need to.  I'll be okay."

Edith frowns.

"I didn't ask if you needed me to. I know how terrifying this can be if you don't have someone watching over you. Do you want me to stick around?"

Vel bites a lip.  They look down over their body. A boy's body.

She doesn't like you. She can't give you what you want. You idiot. Why are you doing this?

"I... You don't. I have..."

Please stay. Please.

Mr. Bear crawls out of Vel's bag, having spent the last 5 minutes trying to figure out the Zipper.

"We can do a slumber party!"

Edith grumbles and rolls her eyes.

"You stupid utilitarian with a martyr complex. Stop trying to be self-sacrificing and let me take care of you tonight. You collapsed on the porch before you could even get inside, if you thought something would help, I am going to do it. But you need to *tell* me that it will help."

"Okay." Mistress

Bad. Bad brain. Stop it. Fuck.

Edith sighs, clearly relived.

"Thank the Gods. Okay, you want me to stay up and keep watch? Sit in the room and practice my guitar? Or should I sleep in the bed with you?"

Vel looks up at Edith.

They blue screen.

bedbedbedbedbed. No. No. Don't be weird. Just be normal.

"I don't need to sleep!" Mr Bear says helpfully.

He shifts on the bed, pushing Vel back and making space.

Edith smiles affectionately and labels each option "A" "B" and "C", respectively. She holds the hand that was listing out for Vel to easily gesture to.

Vel reaches out. 

They hesitate. 

You are an idiot. Don't ruin this.

They reach to touch B.

Mr. Bear pushes their hand to C.

Edith chuckles and signs a quick thank you to Mr. Bear. Edith strips down to her t-shirt and underwear (boxers, covering down to the middle of her thigh).

Then she moves the covers around Vel to get them under and climbs in next to them. She's smiling at Vel.

Vel clutches Mr. Bear tight.

Their clothes shift, becoming a very long shirt, almost a dress.

An electronic snake comes out of the shirt, and bites Vel, injecting nanites.

Their form shifts back to the Vel form. Edith first met. Their eyelids immediately droop as the exhaustion from the change hits them.

Don't over think this. She is being a good friend...

But... Maybe you can hug her maybe....

Vel's eyes droop a little more as they completely fall asleep.

Mr. Bear holds his arms out to Edith for hugging purposes.

Edith signs a quick "No thank you."

But she does move herself closer to Vel, hoping they can feel her body heat.

CW: Self harm, Vel get's their mirror power. 

Vel floats. 

Energy crackles around them. 

They feel the need to vomit, but their stomach is empty.

They are surrounded on all sides by roiling crackling power. Power that needs a direction.

They aren't together enough to direct it. 

But they remember this. 

They were broken before. Mentally.

Enough that their power read it as a call for help. They need....

Vel wakes up. Their eyes glow blue, but they can't see it. There is a faint static in the air.

Their chestplate shifts, rippling  through forms. Shirts, Dresses, Armor. Suits. 

Vel stumbles out of bed, likely knocking into Edith.

Edith jumps awake, The Maiden shifts into her true form of a shotgun, floating next to the bed.

Edith signs,

"Woah, hey, what's happening? You okay?"

"No. Magic coming. I need.... I need my lab. And a mirror." 

Vel's eyes start flickering side to side. Ideas. So many ideas. 

"And a surgery kit. I have that I."

Vel gets to the door. 

Stumbles a bit, as small bits of energy crackle around the door knob. 

They clutch their stomach a bit in pain.

Edith nods and makes sure Vel can stand, supporting them with her shoulder. She signs,

"I've got a kit, and I know how to use it. Tell me what I need to do."


"Just... Grab a mirror. Big. Close to my old one as possible. Makes it more likely the effect will be similar."

Vel leans on Edith some

"I ... I have a plan. I ... I need ink also. My tattoo kit."

Edith nods again. She walks them to the dining table and sits them down. Once she's sure that Vel is stable, she runs around her cabin, grabbing the materials. She briefly goes outside to grab a crowbar, and then runs back inside and disappears into the bathroom. You hear a bit of a struggle then, a loud crack.

Edith emerges, holding her bathroom mirror, a large square about half the size of Edith. She sets it down on the table last.

"Okay, what next, where am I cutting into you?"

"My hand. I can do it. I _need_ to do it. Just... Don't let me fall."

Vel grabs the Mirror. They focus on it. Images flicker across the mirror.

Vel watching people being gunned down. Vel having their nerves rewired. Iktan, a few others. Horrible things happening to them.

Vel has a look of focus on their face, as images flicker. 

Then with their left hand they slam their fist down into the mirror, causing it to shatter.  In the center of the mirror, one shard still flickers. 

Vel's hand comes back bloody. 

"Knife. I need to cut some of the skin off my palm."



Edith looks like she wants to do something, anything to make it so that Vel doesn't have to do this, but she knows that magic isn't that nice. She runs across the cabin and grabs her skinning knife, and a scalpel, bringing both just in case. She sets them down and wraps an arm around Vel's shoulder, her grip tight. Protective.



oh. Hugged. Not now

(CW: Body horror)
Vel grabs the scalpel, then Very quickly, slices 3 quick lines across their palm.

They toss the scalpel to the side.

will clean that later

They reach, and peel the skin up and off.

Okay. That's ready.

Vel grabs the flickering shard. A match in size and shape for the cut on their palm. They slide one end under their skin, embedding the mirror in their skin. The mirror starts to glow. As does their hand. Their eyes dim some.

"Okay.... Okay. That's stable. I need my tattoo kit. It's in my lab."

Carry me too it?

"I... I'm not sure I can make it without falling."

The skin around Vel's hand is starting to fizzle. The mirror shifting and bending.

You briefly see a Vel in that room, glowing in the same way, tied down with silver chains.

Edith frowns at the grisly scene, but she is no stranger to mutilation. If gore affected her, she'd be in a different line of work. She nods and picks up Vel again, bridal carry. She hustles over to the lab. You can feel her straining to carry the weight of a person and still open the door, but she gets inside.

She mouths to Vel,

"Where?"

Vel feels safe. 

I shouldn't like this so much. This is an emergency. She is just being a good friend.

"The desk. Second drawer. Just need that and light."

Edith nods and gently sits Vel down. Too quickly to be normal, Edith has the tattooing supplies and has flicked on the light. She pulls up a chair and sits next Vel, and holds places one of her leather gloves down alongside the tattooing kit. She points to it and signs,

"For biting."

Then she pulls up a chair and places just a hand on Vel's shoulder this time, but her grip is still firm.

Vel grabs the glove, and puts it in their teeth. 

They then wipe away the blood, holding their hand still. 

Taking the tattoo gun, they move quickly over their skin. Black lines. Chains. 

Around the bottom first. Then moving up... at some point tattooing over the mirror  as if the mirror was made of Vel's skin.

The glowing has left Vel's eyes at this point, focused around their hand, and shrinking there.

The chains shift and tighten over the shard of mirror.

The mirror flexes with Vel's hands.

After 5 minutes, things seem to have calmed. The light stops.

But Vel keeps working. Focused.


Edith stays there, keeping her hand on Vel's shoulder the entire time. Her eyes never leave them, looking for signs of something going wrong.

After a few hours, the chains are mostly around the mirror. And the mirror curves and bends like regular skin. 

The mirror flickers.

The mirror Vel flying through a clearing. Some sort of gas. They flinch. Their are chains on their wrists. 

Several more scenes flash. (Disturbing, Mirror Vel is forced through traumatic experiences.)

Then it is done.

Vel finishes a last few lines of black chain.

Then carefully places the tattoo gun down.

"It's... It's done. It worked."

Vel looks focused. Like they did a few days ago.


Edith lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She leans forward and rests her head against Vel's shoulder, staying there for a moment.

Vel leans her head against Ediths.

"Thank you. I'm sorry. I should have suspected something like that would happen."

Mr. Bear is Quiet, but at some point waddled in to be under Vel's chair.

He didn't touch them, not wanting to distract.

You hear an Edith laugh. She straightens up to sign.

"The fuck are you apologizing for? Yeah that was terrifying, but you do what you have to do. I'm just glad you're alright."

I don't deserve you. 

"Still. Your sleep and... Well. Thank you. "

Vel flexes their hand.

They wince a little. They sign back. They have a bit more of an accent to their ASL now. Their hand moves stiffly 

"Probably not perfect. I'll be lucky if the stiffness goes away ... "

Edith stops Vel mid signing.

"Hey, don't. That will need time to heal. Use those vocal cords of yours."

Vel smiles.

"Sorry. Silly of me."

"Thank you."

Edith smiles back.

"I got your back, always have, always will."

Vel's head and heart flip.

She doesn't mean that. She's a good friend and ally.

I wish she would hold me again

Vel smiles softly.

"I got your back too."

Edith stretches her left arm high above her head and stands up. Shaking off the stiffness, she signs,

"Okay. Let's get you back to bed. Can you walk?"

Vel nods. 

They stand.

A little shaky.

Mr. Bear climbs up to Vel's shoulders.

Edith leans down and gives Vel a shoulder to lean on. 

Vel leans on Edith. 

She's just helping you. Don't over think it.

Edith smiles and starts walking them to their bedroom, the moon still high in the sky. Once the two are back in Vel's room, Edith puts Vel beneath the covers.

"You still want company?"

Yes

Stop it. You fixed it. You barely remember why the contract upset you. Don't be a creep.

Vel opens their mouth.

"ye...yeah."

You idiot

Edith gives a simple smile and climbs in under the covers. Once she's comfortable, she signs,

"You know you're still taking tomorrow off, right?"

"Okay. I will."  Mistress

Fuck I'm such a creep. Stop it.

Edith gives a satisfied nod. She turns away from Vel and falls asleep very quickly.

Vel lifts a hand. Then puts it back down. They hug Mr. Bear. 

It takes a while before they sleep, but they have pleasant dreams.

Vel was in their workshop. Then was gone. 

Their contractor gear taken.

The next day, they step out of their workshop.

They are in their default form, and their hair is about 3 inches longer.

Vel sits on the porch .  They look skinny. Their eyes a little sunken. 

They aren't sick. Magic fixed that.

They look at the cabin. 

They look around the trees.

They breath in, like the fresh air is something fundamentally new.

Mr. Bear goes to look for Jupiter. 

Vel checks their phone. They look shocked. 

They stare for a moment.

Then text Edith.

"Do we have oranges? Lemons maybe?"

The response isn't immediate, but still pretty quick.

"You're back! Good! I was starting to get worried. Don't think we have any right now, but I can pick some up on my way home? Or do you need me back sooner rather than later? I can speed up my route and be home in like, an hour."

Jupiter is napping in his bed, and perks up when Mr. Bear appears. He looks like he wants to play.

Mr. Bear hugs Jupiter, and get's on his back.

Vel goes to get their tattoo kit.

You get a text back.

"Yeah alright I'll be there in an hour with oranges and lemons. Any specfic type/brand?"

"Weeeeeee!"

Mr. Bear laughs and plays.

Vel strips off most of their top, and starts to inscribe something into their shoulder. 

They pause to answer the text.

"Okay. Thank you. Easy to peel maybe?"

A Thumbs up react.

Vel is on the porch. The front of their shirt is mostly off, with their breast plate shifted to a crop top with only one strap. 

The small traces of their top surgery scars are visible. They wear shorts that you can tell are part of their breast plate from how they connect to the shirt.

Probably no mundane clothes. 

They have completed most of a tatto. A star. Styled after the kind used by emergency responders. The Star of life . 

There are little bits of blood around the edges .You can see a scapel, bloody, resting with Vel's tatto supplies.

They look up as Edith gets home. They visibly relax.


Edith props up her motor bike and signs a quick "Hello!" with a bag of oranges and lemons slung over her shoulder. Edith tilts her head a little at Vel's appearance. "Gender is on overdrive today, huh?"

Vel's eye's water a bit.

"I.... I missed you."

They blink several times.

Pull it together

"Yeah. Yeah. Gender is.... I hardly know her. haha" Vel adds a weak little laugh. 

They look at the oranges hungrily.

Edith shifts instantly, concern evident. She speeds up to get inside the house quickly.

"Alright, come on. I'm making you food."
With the front door open, she walks inside and signs,

"How long were you gone?"

Vel nods. 

"Yes. Thank you.

Um... About 6 months. Job was secured after 4 days, but... Well... " Vel stumbles over their words.

"It... it's complicated."

Edith plops the oranges and lemons on the dining table and looks at Vel, horrified.

"Gods. That's... Can I hug you?"

Vel tears up again. They nod.

Please. Always

Edith moves quickly and pulls Vel into a hug. It's tight, she's clearly putting a fair bit of force into it.

Vel is much smaller than Edith is used to. Muscles still strong, but most fat gone. 

They bury their face in Ediths shoulder, and take a deep breath of the smell of her shampoo. They hold tight.

Vel can't see it, but Edith looks incredibly anxious as they feel the difference in Vel's figure. She holds the hug for a solid two minutes.

Vel holds Edith tight

"I.... This will fix it. For the future. " Vel murmers. 

They move to gesture towards their new tattoo, only to realize that they are getting blood on Edith.

"Sorry. uh. the blood."

Edith shushes Vel when they start apologizing and just keeps holding them for a bit longer.

Vel sighs. Happy. Safe. 

This is it. You've been thinking about her for 6 months. If you are going to tell her you like her, now is the time.

Vel doesn't say anything. Not wanting to ruin to moment. Not wanting to be a burden.

Eventually, Edith very suddenly breaks the hug, looking like she just forgot something.

"Oh, fuck. You need food. Okay, sit, snack on some oranges, not too quickly. You need something fatty, calorie rich... Still want vegetarian?"

Something crosses over Vel's face. A queasy expression.

"Yes. Please. No meat. I think I have scurvy. Have been magicing away symptoms."
"Can... Can you warn me for the next few days if you are cooking meat?

Edith's eyes go wide.

"Holy *shit.* Yeah. Yeah, okay. I can warn you, I- ah fuck it, I just won't cook meat. I'll wait to butcher anything until you're at least not in the room and I'll try to keep my catches hidden. Okay. Uh.... Beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, napa cabbage, some arugula? I'm thinking of a shit ton of salad for you to have for the next few days. Won't need any heating up while I'm working, that sound good?"


Vel starts to cry. They nod. Mr. Bear comes over and crawls up onto their lap.

Edith rushes over and gives another hug, tight and short. She moves away,

"Sorry, I need to be able to cook. But, you're alright. You're back, you don't need to worry about anything. It's safe here."

Vel curls their legs up onto their chair. 

They hug mister Bear. 

They keep crying.

"I. Sorry. Thank you. I missed you." You make me feel safe.

Edith smiles sadly, signing before she turns to start cooking.

"I would've missed you too, if you were gone for six months. I'm just counting myself lucky I didn't lose you for that long."

Vel's heart aches. 

lose me. Does that mean she has me?

no. You're emotional. You can't think about this now.

Vel slowly gains control of their sobbing.


Edith is a flurry of movement, setting multiple pots to boil, chopping veggies, preparing multiple plates to be put away for later. After about an hour, Edith has made a giant mess of her kitchen, and a shit ton of salad with hard boiled eggs and potatoes.


Vel slowly calms. Somber. At some point a bit of red stone comes out from a strap on their shoulder, and they suck on it for a moment. That calms them. Then it vanishes back into their chest plate. They work on patching the wounds they put on their shoulder, patting up the blood, and covering the tattoo so it can heal.

Edith appears, face still twisted in worry. She puts a small bowl of salad in front of Vel and sits next to them. "Eat that, if you're still hungry after I'll get you another plate." She bounces her foot nervously.

Vel eats. 

Slowly.

They make little sounds. Happy. Relieved . Hungry.
"You are really good at this."

Edith stops bouncing her foot, her eyes refocusing.

"Good at what?"

There is still a clear anxiety in every move she makes.

taking care of me. Like I need.

Flashes.

Vel with their Mom. Their mom frozen after their dad died.

Their mom curled up on the couch for weeks.

Having to lift, and carry, and protect, and ...

I don't want to be like her

"Cooking." Vel finishes lamely

Edith forces a small smile.

"Thanks, you've given me a lot of practice with the vegetarian side of things."
"You're... Is there anything else you need? Anything at all? I know a lot of people like to have like, nights in when they've had a hard time, but the Cabin isn't usually a good place for that for most people. So, if you like, want to watch a movie I can probably try to set something up?"

Vel nods. 

"Umm... Maybe a walk. It's been a bit since I've been outside. Movie is nice. Just... Stay with me?"

Edith nods, looking relieved to have something to direct her energy towards.

"Yeah! Hikes I can absolutely do. Do you want to head into town and try to borrow a movie from the library with me? I'm not known for my media collection, but my laptop is old enough to have a dvd player."

Vel nods.

"Yeah, I can do that. I just... gotta put on a good face.... Any suggestions?"

Please tell me who to be. I can be whatever you want.

Edith smiles,

"Your face is already plenty good. Even if the skinniness is concerning. You also might want to put on something a little warmer? Don't get me wrong, this look is great, but we'll be riding on my bike, and you don't want to be wearing a crop top for that. Want one of my leather jackets?"

Vel blushes. 

"I... The ... Since I'm legally dead. Don't want... I'll wear a mask."

Vel coughs a few times.

"A uh... A jacket would be nice."

Edith scoffs, she gets up and flicks Vel's forehead.

"Easy there, I don't hook up with people I'm already friends with."

She walks over to her dresser and grabs an extra jacket.

well. There you have it. You are rejected. Now stop being stupid. Nobody wants to be whatever weird thing you want.

you’ve been thinking about this woman for 6 months. Just forget about it. You’ll only upset people. Get yourself hurt, and take time from the people who need you

Remember. Every minute you waste is at least one life.

“Okay . Thanks for the jacket.”

Vel’s form shifts. Becoming more masculine. Browner hair. 

Their clothing shifts to conceal themselves. But their face is recognizable.

Edith turns around and tosses Vel one of her jackets. It's pretty big on them.

Edith looks a little off kilter as she signs,

"Alright, we'll hike tomorrow because you need time to get some energy back. You can wear my second helmet. What's your comfort movie?"

Vel nods. 

"How to train your dragon." They respond

"Never heard of it. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, one second."

Vel gets up, putting the Jacket on. 

don't be weird.

He zips up the jacket, then puts the collar up. Then opens up her backpack for Mr. Bear to get into. She takes a deep inhale through her nose.

Fuck, you loser. You're pathetic.

"Okay, ready." Vel responds as Mr. Bear gets into the backpack.

It smells like Edith. A little bit of pine tree mixed with just... person smell.

Edith smiles at Vel, seeing them put on the jacket.

"You ever ridden a motorbike before?"

"Not in... normal circumstances. But yeah."

"Then I'll save the safety speech. Just hold on tight, okay?"

Vel nods.

"Okay. Drive safe. I don't want to explain how I can survive car crashes untouched."

Edith gives a confused smile as she walks out the door.

"You think I wasn't going to? Even if you'd be fine, I don't like the idea of you getting in a car crash."

"Oh. Sorry. Was a joke." Vel continues. They don't quite have the right inflections for telling jokes. 

She cares about me.

Of course. She is a friend. Stop this. You are only hurting yourself.

There is a signature Edith laugh.

Vel holds Tight onto Edith on the bike.

She's really warm, even when the drive properly starts and the wind picks up.


safe

When the two of them get the library, Vel spots a librarian giving Edith a knowing smile.

Edith either pointedly ignores her, or doesn't seem to notice.


Vel notes her features. Gives a little wave, then follows Edith.

The librarian winks to Vel on the way out.


Vel blushes, then turns away.


Back home, Edith fishes a beat up looking laptop out of a cabniet.

She sets it down on her coffee table and is about to sit down, but stops herself.

"You want any snacks?"


Vel nods. 

"Yeah. I.. I'll probably need to eat a lot for the next while. Better to space it out."


"Good. If you didn't say it I would've."

She grabs the bag of oranges and brings it over to the couch, setting up the movie.
"Get over here, we have a movie about dragons to watch."

She pats the space next to her on the couch.


"Okay, one sec. My gender is being..."

Vel goes to the bathroom. When they come back, they are more fem. Hair and eyes the color of the librarians, but keeping their natural facial features. 

They look tired a bit.

They sit on the couch next to Edith.

Mr. Bear hops up onto their lap.


Edith tilts her head a little at the change but says nothing.

How close is Vel sitting to Edith?


Maybe 3 inches apart. Definitely a normal platonic friend amount.
Vel pulls her legs up, putting her feet under her. 

They pet Mr. Bear on the head as the movie starts


Edith frowns at Vel after she starts the movie. She half lays back on the couch and pats her lap.

"Come on, you were on the clock for six months. I'm guessing you're a little touch starved."

She takes off her jacket and gloves.


Vel blue screens. 

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Mr. Bear jumps over onto Edith's lap. 

Vel takes off Edith's jacket. Their clothes shift to a fluffy set of pajamas. They crawl into Edith's lap, and lean their head against her shoulder.

This is fine. She is taking care of my psychological needs. This is a normal friend things.


Edith smiles at Vel and hugs them close. She runs a hand through Vel's hair.

Vel lets out a little relived noise. 

Tears form at the corner of their eyes.

Stop it. You're being weird. Stop it.

Vel blinks several times. 

They turn to watch the movie. They are several inches smaller in their fem form, very easy to cuddle with.

Edith gently nuzzles against Vel's head.

After about an hour into the movie, Edith fishes her phone out of her pocket and starts typing something, but quickly erases it and places her phone on the coffee table. Arm back around Vel.