#artificalgrievand mentioned

[knowingoverseer]

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It is finally Friday. The Friday-est of Fridays, apparently. Or like, one of the more famous ones. Honestly, the only real important thing is that it���s finally time to head over to Serket’s Haunted Cabin, something you’d been trying to prep yourself for all week.  Minerva had been over a few times in the last two days asking why you hadn't left yet, and Pip had actually even shown up to make sure all your Pokemon were being taken care of since you weren't going to be taking any with you, much to Chess’s annoyance. Still, you’d been too nervous to go before the Thanksgiving holiday, (you didn’t want to impose more trouble on Serket than you already were,) and there was still something that was being released today that you had wanted to grab a box of before heading over. So really, you couldn’t have gone sooner. Really.  Checking your bags and your sylledex to make sure you had everything you’d wanted to take with you, you send a quick message to Serket and recall the coordinates on your transportalizer. Hoo boy. With bags in hand and sword against your back, you zap away.

[knowingoverseer]

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[Part 2]

Meenah ‘Minerva’ Makara was a patient troll, even as a human. But when the reaction to breaking her sweeps of ghosting is trying to jump off the knock-off Eiffel Tower to get away from her, yeah, she’s going to be a little grumpy. “W)(AT THE FUCKING )(ELL CALLIE?”  Yanking the younger troll-turned-human back onto the platform by the scruff of her sweater, Meenah found herself yelling right in her face and god- she looked terrified. Like she’d seen a literal ghost, or well. Something maybe more scary, like a vampire or a zombie? The girl’s dealt with enough ghosts. Twisting and turning Callie was trying to get out of her grip but Meenah was easily holding on to her. After a deep calming breath she tried again.  “no reely what the shell, stardust, its just me. im only tryin to see ya a minute.” “yeah bUt why? minerva it’s been years! years! yoU told piper yoU wanted nothing to do with Us anymore remember? with me! no offence bUt some warning woUld have been nice!” Meenah finally lets go of the sweater, afraid Callie was going to wiggle out of it, but gets ready to chase if she takes off again. Thankfully Callie just backs up into the tower wall, again trying to put distance between them. She looks chuffed, which is just as well, the feeling was mutual.  “oh bo--o ho--o it aint pike back when you didnt know where i was or anyfin, seriously stop makin this a bigger deal than it already is. im tryin to mend a bridge here!” “i’m sorry! i wasn’t aware there was a bloody bridge to be mended! yoU jUst decided we were all too mUch to bother ever coming back to!” A fist slammed into the wall next to Callie’s head, and Meenah loomed over her in a way that sent a fear she hadn’t had in sweeps run down her spine. “yeah and i stand by that. yall were too much, and again, i thought you fucks were DEAD till i came back for my stuff and lo--ok at the damn mess you was in, stardust, that whole lady english bullshit. i wasnt aboat to go back to my old life dealin with yoar fuckery after all that bullship with the sanctum-” Callie flinched at the word, “not when i had found my peace. espsholey after he showed up again. you reely think i coulda handled going back?”  Pushing back away from the wall Meenah gave Callie some distance, taking calming breaths. No it wasn’t Callie’s fault she stayed away but by Arceus she wasn’t helping things. “my dum-bass kid didnt even put it together i ever left, stardust, why would i a gone back?” For Callie’s part, she looked extremely uncomfortable. None of this was particularly news to her, but everything had been relayed through her Sprite, Pip. The mentions of ‘him’ and her sister still didn’t seem to weigh well on her. Honestly she looked like she was going to attempt escaping again. Fuck, this wasn’t what Meenah came here to do. “lisfin, does it matter why im breakin my silence between us? its yoar wrigglin day callie and im tryin to wish ya a good one.” “again yoU coUld have jUst, idk, messaged me or something? listen it’s- it’s good to see yoU, meenah- minerva, really, it is. i’m glad yoU seem to be alright. yoU- yoU look well-” Callie raised her hands placatingly, she was inching toward the door now. “which is somefin i cant say foar you, gill.” Cutting her off, both verbally and physically, Meenah shot forward the close the door. “which is also parta why im here.” This caused Callie pause, that was harsh but. Oh? For an awkward moment they just stared at each other. “.... okay?” “whale look at you! callie when was the last time you actually went out- not here boat like, out, with a friend, oar to treat yoarself or- i dont know!” Meenah gestures out toward the city. “i go oUt! i see friends! well, a friend! Um. Uh... i think i last went oUt early october? to see a movie, with serket.” Callie bit her lip, knowing what was coming next. This, this was why she was on such bad terms with Pip and Meenah as of late. She braced herself for the rebuttal. “exactly. over a month ago, an ya only got that one friend and you arnt even sayin much to her now-a-days huh.” Meenah’s response was a lot softer than she was expecting, and also, not what she was expecting to hear. “stardust lisfin, take it from the queen of issholeation hershellf, you dont want to cut yoarshelf off- yourself off from everyone you care about. rebuilding a social network is tough but as long as youve got someone in yoar corner you can. im worried youre just gonna. stop. stop tryin. youve been livin like one a yoar scary alts doin fuck all boat play video games and copy bo--oks together foar way to--o long now. pips told me, chess told her, were all worried cal.” Callie was apparently speechless, because she was just letting Meenah ramble. At some point she slid down the wall, sitting down on the grated floor. “you know i dont trust yoar friend boat if shes who you got, fuck it, you should try an sea her moar.” “she’s bUsy! i see her, when i can... besides it’s not healthy to pUt that kinda expectation on serket. i need to branch oUt-” “you do,” “-i... i jUst. i.... don’t know how! it’s not like when i first started meeting people, when friends of friends coUld be friends- or bro pUshing others into spaces where interacting was inevitable! i- i scare people off. i fUck Up relationships before they can even start! i scared a literal trickster god away becaUse i coUldn’t shUt Up! it’s not fUnny!!” Trying to control her snorting, Meenah shakes her head, waving, “no- no yoar right its not. sorray, no its not funny and i said itd be hard. boat for right now i think bein able to lean on a friend to keep ya from fallin overboard aint a bad thing.” Meenah reaches down to give Callie a hand, but for a few moments Callie stares at the red spade tattoo on her palm. “oh that ol’ thing? ill tell ya aboat it over coffee.” She pulls the smaller woman to her feet, dusting her off.  “so heres an idea. sea if serket would be alright keepin you in that haunted cabin a hers over the holidays. youd be better off outta the hive, i think. and hey, thats a literal dream vacay foar some.” “why do you keep trying to push me off on serket? yoU lot have been on my case aboUt her for- fUck, years now at this point!” “yeah, callie, because shes jarvis little creation- ugh!” Both Callie and Meenah froze up in different ways, Callie in almost a disasociative way and Meenah in anger, “yoar doin it again! i thought pip said you reeled back on that!” “i did bUt yoU’re still WRONG. if she were connected in any way shape or form to that- that-HIM we woUldn’t be friends, woUld we? i woUldn’t be alive, there’s been so many chances to kill me now- we woUldn’t be ALLOWED to be friends. she’d hate me- he woUldn’t need to be rebUilt! he’d have so many other bodies, meenah! s-sorry, minerva. serioUsly, she’s not-” “ugh just shut up. i get it yoar still deludin yoarshelf. its fine. shes not the one im worried aboat anymoar anyway. i think you are right at least that yoar friends- i.... have questions. boat ill wait on that. i dont trust her boss. an if hes not jarvis then fine, its unfounded worry, boat thats beside the point. serket herself. shes yoar only close friend right now so if thats who ya got. thats who ya got. we wont stress ya out aboat it anymore. we havent in a while if it aint been obvious.” Meenah pitied Callie in a way. She turned to magic to deal with trauma and it’s done her nothing but get her tangled up in the very web she was trying to get away from. At least, as far as she saw it. Maybe the girl was right. Still, Callie just looked confused and like she was struggling with herself now. Meenah reached out and pulled her in by the shoulder.  “hey. forget it foar now. just think over my suggestion alright? now its still yoar wriggling day and i want to take you out foar coffee or tea or somefin alright? we got a lot to catch up on.” Callie still didn’t seem the most comfortable that she was there, but she let herself be pulled along to the door. “alright.... bUt one qUestion before we go.” Callie pulled at the holographic coat around Meenah’s shoulders. “what is this thing even made of?” With a laugh Meenah pulled them through the door, toward the elevator, “fuck if i know pip got it foar me. cute right? i think it makes a splash~”