The Severing of Ties [a second incident in a rose garden]

[notsoharmless]

The fact that the sun is shining upon the garden makes eveerything seem lighter than it should be -- the tint on the roses (red and white, but mostly red, as white does not suit present company) and the morning dew, the feathers of the birds (swallows and a few crowds), the pavement on the patio -- and the ring upon once-Random sometimes-Lyrae

Comments

[mctrillian]

Her mother, on the other hand, is seeming to be in a rather positive mood herself.

Considering the circumstances, anyway -- not knowing where Shelley is or if she's all right, having absolutely no idea what happened to Nita or Kim, the lack of any seeming presence of Max, her daughter being even more dangerous than before and fallen into an even worse crowd then she'd expected, and --

-- oh yeah, well, there's the nasty burned up arm, the lame leg and the knotmark on her hand.

But she has a cane, and she has a long-sleeved coat (she is, if the reader recalls, the one who had a coat), and she's trying to be positive.

"You -- take care of yourself."

Her daughter - not her Random-Lyrae-Annabel, not anymore - merely looks at her.

[agirllost]

Kim walks out into the garden - what's left of the garden, some part of her thinks that today is too nice for this world. She's still wearing the dress, her expression as composed as she can make it, and she's trying awfully hard not to turn and run in the other direction.

'Angie. Have to go back for Angie.'

She sees another woman, recognizes her after a moment, another thread of relief added to the bundle of emotions in her head. It takes her longer to see the girl next to her, dark hair, cold eyes, but she remembers when she was different. Random. Mesaana's student. Her predecessor, in a way.

Mother and daughter standing together again.

[nita_callahan]

Still dressed in red and black, Nita's only a little behind Kim.

When she sees (Random Astoreth Astoreth) Random, she halts, just outside the door to the house.

[notsoharmless]

They are alike, in some ways, Random and Trillian.

And Lyrae and Trillian, and Annabel and Trillian.

Astoreth is not so much like any of the others -- she is more formal, more composed, and much less emotional.

She does not look at Trillian for long, only nodding her assent (because even if you hate your mother you still love her).

She does not look at Nita at all, but speaks to all three.

"You're to go," she says, evenly. "At once."