Chapter 742: Chapter 742 Popping the Question
After the challenge was over Callisto and Sylvie had a good time watching Vivian run around panicking. To Kat’s now semi-trained eye though she could see Vivian wasn’t panicking at all. She made careful steps, never nocked into anything except for her empty glass that went straight into Callisto’s hand and the milk carton she left on the floor was certainly in her path but it was avoided every time.
Kat didn’t say anything though. She let those three have their fun until Vivian announced she needed to shower and wash her face, leaving in a flurry of actions that resulted in the glass going to the sink, the milk back the fridge and her chair neatly tucked in. Callisto actually finished off the remaining food, which after recent information was a surprise. Kat had assumed that it would be a midnight snack for Callisto.
Sylvie smiled at the whole thing anyway before letting out another yawn. Despite the short nap it’d still be an emotionally charged morning. Callisto glanced over at Kat who returned a quick nod before they separated, Callisto to do the washing and Kat to put Sylvie to sleep.
When they got upstairs Kat was prepared to sit with Sylvie again, but her small charge had already nodded off on the way. Kat gently put Sylvie down on the bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her and moving one of the extra pillows into the bed around to Sylvie’s front where it was instantly snatched and cuddled around. Kat couldn’t help but smile at the seen as she walked out of the room.
Once that was over Kat moved to Vivian’s room. She hadn’t actually been into it before but from soft footfalls and the fact the water wasn’t running she was pretty sure the woman was currently available. Kat considered nocking but she didn’t want Vivian to yell out a reply and wake Sylvie, not when she’d just fallen asleep. One quick check to confirm that Lily was also still asleep, Kat opened the door carefully and was hit by a mess of colour.
On the one hand, you’d expect an interior designer to have a nice looking room. On the other, perhaps this was all for testing purposes? Every two metres the colour on the wall changed and the carpet swapped styles. Some sections also had a painting on the wall and two had wall recesses with a sculpture that sort of fit the nearby colours but not really. The hall took you down past the are where Kat’s own bedroom was before opening up into a large room that took up a most of that side of the house. Halfway down the hall was a bathroom, where Vivian was currently humming to herself.
Vivian was in the same clothes as earlier, though now she had a towel wrapped around her hair and was carefully working the water out of it. Kat couldn’t really understand that, much to used to her hair that could take a beating and remain shiny and smooth even before her demonic transformation upgraded it. Vivian’s hair clearly needed some regular attention.
.....
The blonde managed to catch Kat’s entry into the room through the bathroom mirror and said, “What can I do for you Kat? I’m just towelling off my hair but that doesn’t take much thought. It’s all automatic at this point even if it is a little annoying,”
“Well... I’ve got something to talk about but I’d really appreciate you not sharing it too far. Lily knows of course because of the mental link... but I’m not sure I’d have told her if she didn’t know already. It’s... kind of a big deal? I’m not sure how big but... it’s rather awkward?” explained Kat carefully.
Vivian frowned as Kat continued the explanation, “I don’t mind awkward, I can handle that but... I’m not sure I can promise not to tell anyone. Callisto at least might need to know, and if she knows Sylvie will probably find out in short order. So... is this really necessary to keep quiet? I can if you want but I’m not really one for secrets,”
“That’s pretty much the issue. I know something. Something I have recently learned... and I’m not sure I should share it around. It would help provide answers to a question that currently doesn’t have an answer and... look it’s a bit awkward talking around the topic but this mostly involves Sylvie. I don’t want to keep secrets from her, but this is BIG. I don’t know if it’d be better to give her options. The issue is if I offer knowledge she’ll want it. Which, I don’t know if I want to say, and the second thing it’d lead to would be more knowledge. Callisto, as much as I trust her, might be too interested in what it means to keep an even head about this,” said Kat carefully, winding her way around revealing too much information.
Vivian paused in her drying to turn to face Kat fully instead of through the mirror. “Kat. I have learnt that it never pays to keep secrets from people important to you. Despite this, I also work on secret projects from time to time and I see no issue with them, or keeping those secrets. What I will promise, is that I won’t say anything at all about it for two months. I can’t give you any longer than that. I’m just not built to keep the kind of big secret you seem to be building up to. I can keep secrets in groups, but for just myself... my resolve is weak,”
Kat bit down her answer of ‘well ok thanks by’ or something along those lines. This was important and Vivian putting a time limit on things was awkward but Kat still felt like she needed this advice. Lily and her weren’t equipped to deal with this kind of thing by themselves. It would open a whole new can of worms and there just wasn’t a clear answer. So Kat took in a deep breath a few times as Vivian turned back to the mirror.
“Right. Ok. I can accept that. It’s not ideal but I do really need advice on this. So... you remember when Callisto said that maybe Sylvie’s grandmother’s soul might have left already?” Vivian gave a nod so Kat continued, “Yeah well... um... I queried D.E.M.O.N.S. about it mostly as a joke, sort of ‘well there’s no easy answer to that’ only for it to inform me that... the dream smoke thing that I do? It doesn’t work on things without souls.
“Which I mean. That makes sense? It’s what determines an acceptable target. I know some plants can become sentient now magic is involved, and what separates them from normal trees or whatever? So... I mean... what that ability would let me do is... I could go visit the hospital, try to phase into Grammy’s mind and if the abilities fails... we’d know. But... but I don’t really know what I’d do if it worked?
“Like... there’s so much that could be an issue there. Is it safe to be in the mind of someone with dementia? Would I be able to find the real Grammy? If I can does that mean I’d be doomed to play telephone with her instead of letting Sylvie reconnect? And then... and then... outside all the issues succeeding brings up. What does that mean for Sylvie? She’s said it, she grieved for Grammy already. I’m not sure I’d be able to tell her it worked, even if my truth compulsion means I can’t lie about the fact,”
“Ah” said Vivian.
Just that single word. Vivian stared into the mirror until she finished up with her hair only to keep staring at it, just to avoid turning around. When she finally did, it was with a whirl of movement and a bob of her head, “You certainly don’t come to me with easy questions Kat. This... this was a bit more than I was expecting and now I definitely get why you told me and asked for it to stay secret. I... hmm... I’m not sure exactly either.
“The best case scenario might be that you go and test things ahead of time to make sure we’ll know it’s going to fail? That feels horrible to say, but... I also don’t know what we’d do if it works just well enough to know she still has a soul, but her mind is too fractured to speak to her or something. That would crush Sylvie... and Callisto... well she’d say go for it. The chance to understand the ways those kinds of diseases effect the mind...
“Then again... if there was anyone she could put aside her thirst for knowledge for it’d be Sylvie. The big issue is that Sylvie didn’t give us any names and she’s a smart little tyke. If we fished for them she’d figure out something was up and then badger you for answers because not only do you collapse to her puppy eyes you can’t lie either. Hmm... we really might have to keep this one to the side for the moment. I don’t really know what to do either,”
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