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themorbidsocialiteMori Malodrema was speaking with Jane and Derek when the door of the zub's main command deck creaked. He looked back and found his daughter, in her nightshirt and new greatcoat that she'd yet to grow into, leaned against the door. "Percy?"
Persephone Malodrema rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Can't sleep. Can you come help?"
Mori smiled and stood. "Sorry, loves. Duty calls. I'll be back soon." He escorted his daughter back to the guest bed and tucked her in once again. He brushed her bangs away from her face. "So, you don't think it's all the extra sweeties you bribed from the crew that's keeping you up?"
Percy giggled, but shook her head. "No. My brain just won't be quiet."
Mori nodded with a hum. "I've had that happen plenty of times. And how are we going to solve this?"
Persephone yawned and thought. "We don't have any books... Can you tell me something?"
"Another story?"
"Sorta. Can you tell me what it's like to talk to Stone?"
Mori considered, them sighed. "Scooch over. Coming in beside you." Percy scooted over on the bed, plenty of room left for her father to climb in on top of the blankets, one hand propping up his head and the other affectionately petting her hair. "Now, talking with Stone is complicated, because she doesn't talk."
"Like Rudy?"
"Not like Rudy, either. She's not mute. She communicates in... something like another language. You know when you're listening to your conscience and you understand what it's saying, but it's not in words? Or when you're reading and you're imagining the scene and you realize you haven't actually been paying attention to the words? She speaks in thoughts. So, talking with her, you can't use words. And she's very, very slow, so a single conversation can take days."
Persephone watched the ceiling, breathing slow. "But what's it like?"
Mori hummed, tracing a finger gently on his daughter's forehead. "Imagine... You're standing in a river. Close your eyes and imagine it. Good. You're standing in a river and you feel the water rushing all around your ankles. You bury your feet in the bottom to keep from falling and, as you do, you notice the water start to rise. Up to your knees. To your hips. To your elbows. To your shoulders. You take a deep, deep breath and the water rises up and up past your head. You squeeze your eyes shut tight, but the water urges them open. It stings, but you can see clearly. Fish are swimming by you so fast and the water is moving so fast and... You're slow. Like the algae on the rocks and the long, green plants, like the watercress and the tumbling pebbles and the erosion of rocks, you're moving slow. The water is rushing over, under, around, and through you. You gasp with the sense. You can breathe. The water embraces you, welcomed you. You feel it in you, one with the water that makes up your body. The river is home. The river has always been home. The river wraps you up in its waters and welcomes you home. It's so much at first, but you eventually ease into it. You let the water in you speak with the water of the river. And--"
Mori was interrupted by a soft snore. He smiled, tucking Percy's hair behind her ear. With a kiss to her forehead, he rose from the bed and took the lamp with him out the door. "Goodnight, Persephone. Sleep well and dream of kind mountains and rivers."
Persephone Malodrema rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Can't sleep. Can you come help?"
Mori smiled and stood. "Sorry, loves. Duty calls. I'll be back soon." He escorted his daughter back to the guest bed and tucked her in once again. He brushed her bangs away from her face. "So, you don't think it's all the extra sweeties you bribed from the crew that's keeping you up?"
Percy giggled, but shook her head. "No. My brain just won't be quiet."
Mori nodded with a hum. "I've had that happen plenty of times. And how are we going to solve this?"
Persephone yawned and thought. "We don't have any books... Can you tell me something?"
"Another story?"
"Sorta. Can you tell me what it's like to talk to Stone?"
Mori considered, them sighed. "Scooch over. Coming in beside you." Percy scooted over on the bed, plenty of room left for her father to climb in on top of the blankets, one hand propping up his head and the other affectionately petting her hair. "Now, talking with Stone is complicated, because she doesn't talk."
"Like Rudy?"
"Not like Rudy, either. She's not mute. She communicates in... something like another language. You know when you're listening to your conscience and you understand what it's saying, but it's not in words? Or when you're reading and you're imagining the scene and you realize you haven't actually been paying attention to the words? She speaks in thoughts. So, talking with her, you can't use words. And she's very, very slow, so a single conversation can take days."
Persephone watched the ceiling, breathing slow. "But what's it like?"
Mori hummed, tracing a finger gently on his daughter's forehead. "Imagine... You're standing in a river. Close your eyes and imagine it. Good. You're standing in a river and you feel the water rushing all around your ankles. You bury your feet in the bottom to keep from falling and, as you do, you notice the water start to rise. Up to your knees. To your hips. To your elbows. To your shoulders. You take a deep, deep breath and the water rises up and up past your head. You squeeze your eyes shut tight, but the water urges them open. It stings, but you can see clearly. Fish are swimming by you so fast and the water is moving so fast and... You're slow. Like the algae on the rocks and the long, green plants, like the watercress and the tumbling pebbles and the erosion of rocks, you're moving slow. The water is rushing over, under, around, and through you. You gasp with the sense. You can breathe. The water embraces you, welcomed you. You feel it in you, one with the water that makes up your body. The river is home. The river has always been home. The river wraps you up in its waters and welcomes you home. It's so much at first, but you eventually ease into it. You let the water in you speak with the water of the river. And--"
Mori was interrupted by a soft snore. He smiled, tucking Percy's hair behind her ear. With a kiss to her forehead, he rose from the bed and took the lamp with him out the door. "Goodnight, Persephone. Sleep well and dream of kind mountains and rivers."