Cassandra
“I lost my arm?” asked Cassandra. “Helorie, why can’t you just grow it back? Is it like how it was with Dmitri?”
“No.” replied Helorie. “I couldn’t repair Dmitri’s limbs because they were gone for too long. These wounds look… infected, somehow. With something designed to prevent healing magic. The only thing I can do is cut out the wounds and regenerate, but even then, it….”
Cassandra looked at the patch of strange grey flesh on her body. It smelled horrible and rotten, like a tomb. “So really we should just put a prosthetic on.”
“That, or I could give you a magical item to counteract the smell and we could… we could see what happened.”
Cassandra looked at her arm. “I don’t know. Would a prosthetic… would it be easy to re-learn sign language with?”
“I don’t know.” replied Helorie. “They do get quite some getting used to. But if a limb… does grow, then there could be the same difficulty.”
Cassandra looked at her working arm. It was her left, which was her dominant hand, which at least made things a little easier. She would still be able to write, and there were a lot of USL one-handed signs or variations she could sign one-handed. But still, without her other hand she’d always need a lab assistant and preparing potions would be difficult, at best. Not to mention spellcasting, and reading, and…
She took a deep breath.
“Regenerate it.”
“No.” replied Helorie. “I couldn’t repair Dmitri’s limbs because they were gone for too long. These wounds look… infected, somehow. With something designed to prevent healing magic. The only thing I can do is cut out the wounds and regenerate, but even then, it….”
Cassandra looked at the patch of strange grey flesh on her body. It smelled horrible and rotten, like a tomb. “So really we should just put a prosthetic on.”
“That, or I could give you a magical item to counteract the smell and we could… we could see what happened.”
Cassandra looked at her arm. “I don’t know. Would a prosthetic… would it be easy to re-learn sign language with?”
“I don’t know.” replied Helorie. “They do get quite some getting used to. But if a limb… does grow, then there could be the same difficulty.”
Cassandra looked at her working arm. It was her left, which was her dominant hand, which at least made things a little easier. She would still be able to write, and there were a lot of USL one-handed signs or variations she could sign one-handed. But still, without her other hand she’d always need a lab assistant and preparing potions would be difficult, at best. Not to mention spellcasting, and reading, and…
She took a deep breath.
“Regenerate it.”
The pain was incredible. A nurse had cast a spell on her that temporarily removed her sense of pain, but it hadn’t worked or it had gone wrong or something. Because she was screaming (crying) begging (please)
(feel it running down the arm)
(there is something living there besides you)
(it is growling, screaming, the bones are-)
(feel it running down the arm)
(there is something living there besides you)
(it is growling, screaming, the bones are-)
Helorie wiped the sweat from his head and looked down at the arm. Cassandra lifted it, carefully, looking surprised she even could.
“It’s hard to keep straight.” she told Helorie. “It feels…. well, not heavy. But it’s a lot of effort to keep it rigid.”
“Release the effort. I want to see what happens.” replied Helorie.
The arm sagged, it was curved, but then it curved up again and the hand was kept roughly in the same place. Cassandra shuddered.
“Yes, that is disconcerting.” said Helorie. “Here, put this on, I can make you a smaller one later, but it’s what we had in the palace vaults.”
Helorie handed Cassandra a thin bracelet. She put it on with her left hand and the smell vanished, making the air of the room so much more breathable. “Thank you.”
Helorie looked at the arm, gently touching it, inspecting it. “Honestly, Cassandra, if you change your mind about the arm….”
“Thank you.” said Cassandra. “But I don’t think I will.”
“Alright then.” said Helorie. “Um, lots of people are outside to see you.”
“It’s hard to keep straight.” she told Helorie. “It feels…. well, not heavy. But it’s a lot of effort to keep it rigid.”
“Release the effort. I want to see what happens.” replied Helorie.
The arm sagged, it was curved, but then it curved up again and the hand was kept roughly in the same place. Cassandra shuddered.
“Yes, that is disconcerting.” said Helorie. “Here, put this on, I can make you a smaller one later, but it’s what we had in the palace vaults.”
Helorie handed Cassandra a thin bracelet. She put it on with her left hand and the smell vanished, making the air of the room so much more breathable. “Thank you.”
Helorie looked at the arm, gently touching it, inspecting it. “Honestly, Cassandra, if you change your mind about the arm….”
“Thank you.” said Cassandra. “But I don’t think I will.”
“Alright then.” said Helorie. “Um, lots of people are outside to see you.”
Von Wolff looked at Cassandra’s arm. He looked terrified. It wasn’t a look that Cassandra had seen on her father’s face often. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s… it reminds me of the other Lukas. Three Horns Lukas. The way it… moves.” He looked at Helorie. “Is it too late to give her a metal arm?”
“I’m fine with this one.” said Cassandra. “It will just get some getting used to! And where is Lukas, anyway? I’d like to talk to him?”
Sebastian sighed. “None of us have seen him since the whole incident ended. I think Maëlys brought him back from the dead.”
Bara tapped her mother’s arm to get her attention, then asked, “Will you still be able to sign with the new arm?”
Cassandra smiled and signed back, her right hand slow and clumsy, “I think I still can. Not as good though.”
“We’ll have to practice!” replied Bara.
Cassandra reached over and rustled her daughter’s hair with her left hand before signing back, “We will.”
“Did Lukas even apologize to you?” asked Von Wolff, sitting down on the only chair in the room.
“When would he have a chance to, dad?” replied Cassandra.
Von Wolff shrugged. “That’s true, I guess.”
“Do you guys want me to hunt him down and drag him in here?” said Daniys. “I honestly think he should have a chance to talk about what he did and why. And why the hell the alternate set of memories had such a big rift between me and the rest of the family? Like, does Lukas secretly hate me or something?”
Sebastian hugged Daniys, which she really wasn’t expecting, but she hugged her father back. “I don’t know, but I want you to know that how we thought of you in those memories has nothing to do with reality!”
Daniys smiled. “Yeah, I know. I love you, dad.”
“I love you too.” said Sebastian, and he squeezed Daniys once before pulling away.
Cassandra was happy to see her family mostly altogether and getting over their issues. “Where’s Xander?”
“He’s with Illiam, watching Evelin, but I think I might switch off with him.” said Von Wolff. “He said he wanted to come and visit you.”
“I’d appreciate that.” said Cassandra. She looked to her sister. “What’s with guys in our family and making terrible decisions?”
Daniys shrugged. “Who knows? And you’re saying I haven’t?”
“Okay, but nothing like this.”
Sebastian reached down and covered Dominik’s ears where they were sitting in their carrier. “Don’t give him any ideas, you two. You’re going to make good decisions like your sisters, do you hear, Dominik?”
“No murdering gods, no punting babies, no casting spells that fundamentally alter reality.” said Von Wolff to his child. “Do you hear that?”
Dominik just smiled and shook their rattle.
“It’s… it reminds me of the other Lukas. Three Horns Lukas. The way it… moves.” He looked at Helorie. “Is it too late to give her a metal arm?”
“I’m fine with this one.” said Cassandra. “It will just get some getting used to! And where is Lukas, anyway? I’d like to talk to him?”
Sebastian sighed. “None of us have seen him since the whole incident ended. I think Maëlys brought him back from the dead.”
Bara tapped her mother’s arm to get her attention, then asked, “Will you still be able to sign with the new arm?”
Cassandra smiled and signed back, her right hand slow and clumsy, “I think I still can. Not as good though.”
“We’ll have to practice!” replied Bara.
Cassandra reached over and rustled her daughter’s hair with her left hand before signing back, “We will.”
“Did Lukas even apologize to you?” asked Von Wolff, sitting down on the only chair in the room.
“When would he have a chance to, dad?” replied Cassandra.
Von Wolff shrugged. “That’s true, I guess.”
“Do you guys want me to hunt him down and drag him in here?” said Daniys. “I honestly think he should have a chance to talk about what he did and why. And why the hell the alternate set of memories had such a big rift between me and the rest of the family? Like, does Lukas secretly hate me or something?”
Sebastian hugged Daniys, which she really wasn’t expecting, but she hugged her father back. “I don’t know, but I want you to know that how we thought of you in those memories has nothing to do with reality!”
Daniys smiled. “Yeah, I know. I love you, dad.”
“I love you too.” said Sebastian, and he squeezed Daniys once before pulling away.
Cassandra was happy to see her family mostly altogether and getting over their issues. “Where’s Xander?”
“He’s with Illiam, watching Evelin, but I think I might switch off with him.” said Von Wolff. “He said he wanted to come and visit you.”
“I’d appreciate that.” said Cassandra. She looked to her sister. “What’s with guys in our family and making terrible decisions?”
Daniys shrugged. “Who knows? And you’re saying I haven’t?”
“Okay, but nothing like this.”
Sebastian reached down and covered Dominik’s ears where they were sitting in their carrier. “Don’t give him any ideas, you two. You’re going to make good decisions like your sisters, do you hear, Dominik?”
“No murdering gods, no punting babies, no casting spells that fundamentally alter reality.” said Von Wolff to his child. “Do you hear that?”
Dominik just smiled and shook their rattle.
Author's Note: Anooooother fucking story begun and never completed. This one was going to be really good, too! Family drama! All the Neslines together! I can finally have all the characters! Xilliam proposal!
But no, my attention was drawn by my secret project and I entered her beautiful lair. A lair of many words but no progress at all on this story.
This story is actually canon.
Word Count: 945 words
Date: July 22nd, 2015
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