>>5583670“Hello, Tryphosa.” Vivima says from your side, and the jovian girl’s head nearly whips toward her.
“Viv!” Tryphosa cries out next, pulling from you to wrap the Zabi girl in a tight hug, “You’re happier than before.”
“My family is growing,” Vivima replies, violet eyes looking past Tryphosa and toward the scientist and assistant still in the room, “How could I not be happy?”
“You’re still asleep,” Tryphosa says, her brow furrowing as she looks Vivima over carefully, leaning in <span class="mu-i">very</span> close, close enough to make you imagine things that surely couldn’t happen for just a moment, “But you’ll be very powerful one day, I can feel it within you. Dormant, slumbering.”
Vivima’s breath grows more shallow, cheeks flushing just slightly as Tryphosa remains so very close to her, but she manages to still speak a very words, soft and sweet and clear, “Show me, please.”
“I light the way, but I may not be the one to lead you down it.” Tryphosa looks to you, and for a moment you’re surrounded by that calming timeless feeling which sometimes grips you while in her presence, a feeling which can never truly be captured in words alone, “You may wish to look elsewhere for that. …Let us speak in private.”
<span class="mu-s">A few minutes later, outside of the laboratory.</span>
“They allow me to go on walks now, not that they could stop me if they wanted. Lom called it a reward for good behavior, which is a curious expression - I’ve been behaving very poorly, disobeying my father for months now. I believe Lom really meant that I’ve been cooperating well, which is true.” Tryphosa says to you and Vivima, the three of you walking through soft grass, slowly heading down the hill the lab rests upon, trees beginning to flank you upon either side, “...I like to come out here and look at the city, it’s still a strange sight to me. I never spent much time on any of the Jupiter colonies, the fleet never lingers long even at its home ports.”
“Has your father visited again?” Vivima asks. Tryphosa shakes her head.
“Quina and Mona came in with the fleet again a week ago, they left yesterday. Mona was out of her wheelchair, she’s strengthening well with the new implants… It was very good to see her again. My father is busy fulfilling his end of the bargain. I don’t believe they’ve caught on to our plans.”
“Are you feeling better about it?” Vivima questions. You’d never even need to ask that - You could tell instantly that Tryphosa is resisting her compulsions more easily. She’s stronger than before, though it’s difficult to know by how much. Time and effort have helped her.
