who is the lamb and who is the knife?

[vliste_staba]

Nexus regulars may have seen Deet here and there over the late Fall and the Winter. She's small and a little shy, but very distinctive, especially to human eyes. A girl with green-tinted skin, hair the color of undyed linen, wings like a dragonfly's, and less than two and a half feet tall. Most people assume she's a faery, and she doesn't mind that.

She's never seen without the sprouting wooden staff she carries, and the floor-length black feather cloak on her shoulders, both gifts from the Fallen Angels. They make her feel secure, particularly the cloak. Right now, she's crouched beside a pond, peering at a group of tadpoles milling in the water. Some have legs budding, and she's fascinated to watch this metamorphosis, slow but fast enough to be visible.

Around her, some of the cattails are tinted dark violet, a wash of purple energy that seems to surge and then recede again as the reeds quiver in the wind.

"When someone starts to change," she says, "they never know what they'll really look like when they've finished, do they?"

Sitting back on her heels, she tilts her head to watch the Darkening flux and retreat across the cattails. "And when someone has power, it's hard to decide what to do with it. If you thought there was even a small chance you could save your world from something terrible, what would you sacrifice for it? Would you become another person to do it?"

Comments

[andshesaid_i_amnotapuppet]

"You think so? I used to think nothing can change. Until I've met Webby and everyone."

She can hope now.

[vliste_staba]

"Sometimes it happens slowly," Deet shrugs. "But not always."

"Is Webby a friend? Would you like to sit with me and tell me about her?"

[andshesaid_i_amnotapuppet]

"Somehow, it's - poof, boom, ouch! - and you suddenly care about the family of your Aunt's Nemesis. Very annoying, you know?"

"Webby's my best friend. But-"

Suddenly suspicious, why'd a stranger ask - unless she's just nosy, like some ducks and other birds - Lena simply asks, "Why'd you wanna know?"

[vliste_staba]

Deet gives an inquisitive tilt of her head. "I'm not sure I follow you there, but it sounds, um, disorienting?"

She shakes her head, innocently immune to the suspicion. "Sometimes talking about friends makes people feel better. You just seem..."

Hm. Lonely isn't quite the right word, but neither is just 'sad'. "You seem like you need someone to listen to you."

[andshesaid_i_amnotapuppet]

"Disorienting? There's that, too. For sure."

Hmmm. Just that?

She looks at Deet carefully, on a watch for any dishonesty. (Though how to notice that, anyway...)

"Maybe you're just an overly curious stranger person. Fine. We can talk."

[vliste_staba]

Deet is borderline incapable of deceit, and looks it. She blinks at Lena as if uncertain why she's staring at her, but smiles when she comes to her conclusion.

"You're not very used to people being nice to you, are you? I'm sorry. Just think of me as weird, if it helps. I'm from a whole different planet, anyway."

[andshesaid_i_amnotapuppet]

"Heh, for an alien, you're very, very smart, trust me."

Lena seems to relax, now.

"What, did you think I was afraid of you? No way! I'm way more powerful."