We've Gone Full Teenager, Winston

Sarrain

Sarrain

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Rory felt odd at the way Jude had said that, like he didn't entirely believe her, but he was going to force himself to anyway. Much in the way her mother might have repeated what she said when she knew Rory was lying.

Lorelai wanted to steer the conversation back to reassure Jude, but she knew it wouldn't, so she was happy when he gave her an out.

She chewed another bite of oatmeal, trying to think up what Gil even could be doing. "Does it have something to do with an alien spaceship by any chance?"
 
Romi

Romi

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"Nope," Jude said. "That was just the one weekend, and Ralf's been working on it since. Every so often he checks in with Gil, but Gil's not really doing that. The frame's already done, anyway."

But that wasn't what he'd wanted to talk about as he worked through his breakfast, careful not to make a mess of his clothes.

"I started picking up other people's powers. Like, instinctive knowledge. Giltenn says it's because they're not stuck with the limiter anymore, so they're starting to assimilate a bit more again. Getting comfy."
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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And Rory didn't want the thought there, but it had come anyway. "Is that safe?"

The idea was always there: where one Gultha was the others were sure to follow. Would it not be safer for Jude to wear a limiter? Rory didn't want to be afraid and she didn't want Jude to lose more than he already had. That didn't change the fear, though.

"I mean, I know Gil doesn't hurt people, but they're still part of the cycle."
 
Romi

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The question of is that safe was something he'd thought about himself. It was something he'd talked about with Gil extensively before he'd even thought about bringing it up with Rory.

Because he knew she'd worry.

"We talked it out. Giltenn is... an observer. They gather information. I'm not exactly an ideal host for them, but they described me as comfortable, so they're happy where they are for now. But they want more information coming in, so this is a nice compromise - they'll be able to get more information, and it's not going to bother me."

Well, no, why would he? It might bother other people, but the more he knew, the safer he could feel.

"The whole thing is a bit weird without the rest of the Gultha. On their own, Gil's kind of... limited in what they can do."
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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And Rory said what she knew Jude must have thought at least once. "We The People should have never pushed me through." She finished her breakfast and went to go wash out her bowl and put it away.

"The Gultha followed the first time because they wanted to destroy all record of the Ijian. Wasn't exactly fair to throw an Ijian to this dimension, was it? And if Gil is already here..."

There was no saying the others didn't know. That the others couldn't follow. And while the Gultha didn't seem to work together, they worked alongside each other. Where one was others were sure to follow.

The process was messy, at least in Rory's head. They didn't like each other. They wanted to eat each other. But they needed each other. Right? Or was it always a fight with the world and among themselves?

There was a lot of questions left unanswered.
 
Romi

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Jude frowned. There was no way to not frown at that, to the acknowledgement that he was sure they'd all thought about.

"The same goes for me," Jude said. "You can't say don't push an ijian through and not count me in that as well. If you're going down that logic, we should have just sent Travis, Janelle, and Blade. But we didn't have a lot of time to sit down and think things through. So stop beating yourself up over it."

She obviously was. There was no way for her not to be.

"They might have won, you know. Everyone seems to just assume they lost, but they could have won."
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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"You can't win when they manifest, that's what everyone said," Rory pointed out. She thought about fighting Jude on the idea that he should have been left behind too. He was right, they didn't have time to unbind him.

But...

"We don't know if the Gultha follow each other. One day Gil might have just said 'I have to go Jude,' and left. They've probably had other hosts before that they took off from. Didn't you once mention Gil could leave if they wanted to?"
 
Romi

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"Well, Zantibayra was pretty manifested, and Broen killed them. I think it's more 'you can't kill them without cost', and... well, there was the cost already." People had died. Huge portions of the city destroyed or damaged. There was no glossing over it.

"Gil can leave if they want. They have the option. That's actually..."

Jude grimaced, his human fingers almost absentmindedly running over the silver of the gauntlet.

"I considered looking into that. Into how to... separate myself. To give them a separate body, so they could just walk around and do their own thing, rather than living as my arm."

Because, whether he said it or not, that was a possibility. That they would just leave. And that he'd be left without an arm and with a whole lot of mess. Maybe dead, if they took all the silver with them.
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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Lorelai couldn't say anything to that. Not at first. Her throat closed and her mouth was filled with metaphorical cotton. She gathered herself and got a glass of water to drink down.

"That's a terrible idea for more than one reason. You might die. Also, giving Gil their own body is even more worrying than having them bonded to you. God only knows what--" Rory cut off that line of thinking. It wouldn't get them anywhere. Even wondering this wouldn't.

"I guess it doesn't matter. We could debate this all morning, but what happened already happened. If the Gultha are ever going to attack this place, it's already been decided."
 
Romi

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He couldn't not think about it. He couldn't not debate it.

"If we're being realistic," Jude said. "It didn't matter which of us came through. I asked Giltenn once, back because I thought throwing the Alexandrian in a portal might make them follow. I asked if it was just the activated Ijians they were after. And they said no, they were after all the Ijians, which would mean you and your brother, and all the other ones on earth..."

Jude frowned. He frowned really, really hard.

"But it also counts anyone who knew of the Ijians. They'd all have to go. It would mean everyone who knew about the Gultha. And by the time the Gultha show up to start eating the Alexandrian, that means everyone."

There was no getting away from that.
 
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