find a mom

[exactlyright]

Carinna goes looking for a mom. Probably she will need to talk to all of them, so it does not much matter which she finds first.

Comments

[calendarofcrime]

There's one!

[exactlyright]

Carinna goes up to her. "The one of you who is not a boy like the other ones," she says, "and her Bella and her Tony were thinking about having princesses but they don't have any yet, Jane said, and if they do I think they should maybe skip me."

[calendarofcrime]

"Go on."

[exactlyright]

"I'm not sad. Except when I am, but I don't just - be sad all the time," says Carinna. "But that's - here. And other mes wouldn't be here, they'd be other places. And 'Lin and 'Wen help me a lot and I don't know how many princesses the other yous want to have. So especially if they only want one, they should skip me."

[calendarofcrime]

"I see the logic," says Sherlock.

[exactlyright]

"Do you think the other yous will?"

[calendarofcrime]

"Yes."

[exactlyright]

"What about the other Bellas and Tonies?"

[calendarofcrime]

"Any of me could explain to any of Tony and be understood. As for Bella, why don't we find her and ask?"

[exactlyright]

Carinna nods.

[calendarofcrime]

Sherlock queries the forest, then transports them to Bella.

[thaumobabble]

Bella is at the Tree of Pearls, sitting under it with Cricket in her lap, eating pearl-fruits. She has her eyes closed, presumably thinking about something she's read or plans to do, but she opens them when the magic shifts Sherlock and Carinna into place. "Hi, honey. Hi, Carinna."

[exactlyright]

"Hi, Bella."

[calendarofcrime]

[exactlyright]

Carinna peers up at Sherlock, wondering if she is going to say the thing. When Sherlock does not immediately say the thing, she looks at Bella and says herself, "I think the other Bellas and Sherlocks and Tonies who want little princesses should skip me."

[thaumobabble]

"...Oh, dear," sighs Bella. "Okay. I can tell them all at the party and they'll see if they can - no one has tried to skip a template before, but it seems like it should be doable." She sighs again, and holds out her arms for a hug from her daughter.

[exactlyright]

Carinna goes and hugs her.

[calendarofcrime]

Sherlock hugs both of them.

[thaumobabble]

Hugs.

"Are you okay, Carinna?"

[exactlyright]

"Most of the time," Carinna assures her. "I just seem like a risky kind of person to have more of. Don't you think?"

[thaumobabble]

"That seems like your decision, since you're in a position to make it."

And privately to Sherlock: [So at least she won't be offended if people skip past her, I suppose.]

[calendarofcrime]

[That is good. I would not like her to be offended, and I would not like her to have an abundance of perpetually unhappy alts.]

[thaumobabble]

[I'm pretty sure my alts with yous were already considering it contingent on reproducing at all, though they didn't say as much.]

[calendarofcrime]

[It seems likely.]

Hugs.

[thaumobabble]

Hugs.