izzyalienqueen | Room 406, evening

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Room 406, evening

Isabel is finally feeling more like herself after Friday's argument with Max and last night's odd dream. That's why the door is open as she plays with Annie, laughing as she used her powers to send a ball of crumpled up paper around the room for the cat to chase.

[ooc: details of the conversation with Parker are NFB please!]

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"Stuff I didn't tell him," she said quietly. "Stuff that I found out about in Special Collections last Spring."

"Stuff like what?" Parker asked, her voice going more quiet. "If it was in Special Collections, I can't think it's harmless."

"Back on Antar Max was Zan, Michael was Rath, Tess was Ava, and I was Vilandra." Isabel stared down at her hands, lost in her thoughts. "Vilandra betrayed her king, her brother, to his enemy, her lover."

"That wasn't you," Parker said immediately. Then she paused. "Do you remember any of that? At all?"

"That's what I keep telling myself," she shrugged. "it still doesn't stop me from feeling bad. And then when Max found out I'd know for so long? And didn't say anything? He's furious."

"Not to say Max is right, because that would go against any religion I might have." Parker kept her voice gentle as she stroked Annie's head. "But why didn't you tell him?"

"Because how could I tell him that? What she did?" Isabel sighed, "I kept thinking I'd find a way, the right words, but I never did. Then he called to tell me about the dupes and it just slipped out."

"There are no right words for that." Parker sighed. "But I get why you delayed." She waved her fingers at Annie, then very carefully asked, "The dupes? What are they?"

"Exactly," she said, then shrugged, trying to get over it. "One of the benefits of being created in a petri dish is that apparently it's easy enough to creat copies. The Dupes are a second set of hybrids. An exact copy of the four of us."

"Whoa." Parker looked disturbed, and let Annie go when she tried to escape. "There's another you, somewhere? So the other Isabel can do your thing with the wavy-fingers, and the dream-walking?"

"Apparently. I didn't get too many details," Isabel said, smiling weakly as Annie curled up in her lap. "We got a little distracted by what I hadn't told him."

"Damn." Parker sat up, and crossed to Isabel, sitting down next to her. "Are you okay, hearing about that? I know you're not okay with Max being mad at you. But the rest of it?"

"I don't really have a choice do I?" she asked. "And it's not like they're here. Thank god, because they sounded charming. Lonnie, my dupe, killed her brother." Isabel gave a bitter laugh, "I know I've threatened to kill Max multiple times, but it was never serious."

Looking deeply disturbed, Parker said, "Okay, that is in no way good news. And I may have wanted to strangle Angelo on occasion, but-- yeah." She took a breath, and patted Isabel on the arm. "Vilandra and Lonnie are not you. You're not like that. It would be as if identical twins were treated as if they were the same person. It's freaky, and horrible, but it's nothing to do with you. Not really."

"I know," Isabel said, even as she wondered. Vilandra and Lonnie both caused the deaths of their brothers, maybe whatever evil or wrongness that was in them, was in her as well. Buried deeper, but still there and waiting to come out. "And I'm pretty sure Max knows that as well. He just needs time to get over the fact that I knew things for so long but never told him."

Pushing back a strand of Isabel's hair, Parker said, "He will. Eventually. He's a bonehead, but he loves you, from what you've said. And he's known you all his life. He'll figure it out, and you guys will talk, and it'll get better." She smiled slightly. "Is there anything I can do?"

Isabel smiled, touched by Parker's obvious concern. "I know. It'll take time. But we'll deal. Eventually. As for what you can do? Help me come up with an excuse for why I'm not going home for Thanksgiving. Because I really think he'd going to need a little more time then that."

"I'd invite you home with me, but, well. Not really happening. Daddy's staying in Athens." Parker sighed, and curled her legs under her. "Maybe you can say you've got a project due? Or claim we got invaded again? It's not like he'd know the difference."

"Either that or I'm claiming too much schoolwork. My mom will respect that," she said. "She won't be happy, but she'll deal. So if you're dad is going to be in Athens, does that mean you're going to stay here? Or go do something with Sydney?"

"Sydney, maybe. He doesn't really have any family," Parker said, looking away. "Or maybe I'll drive up to Maine again, if we have a longer break, and stay at the inn up there. The one I went to before the semester started-- a friend of my mom's runs it." She turned back to Isabel. "Either way? You *are* welcome on those excursions."

"I'd love to," Isabel agreed. "It's either that or staying here and either ordering in from Ching Tai, or getting insanely ambitious and trying to cook a turkey." She set Annie back on the floor and laughed as she pounced on a catnip toy. "Which could be interesting I suppose."

"While I would adore one of your feasts for Thanksgiving, I think it's supposed to be a day of rest, and I don't see that as restful." Parker slowly got to her feet, then tugged on Isabel's hair, gently. "So good. Sydney or Lake Catherine. Either way, it'll be fine. And by Christmas, you and Max will be talking." Parker face went blank for a moment. "The way it should be."

"True, plus the idea of sticking my hand inside a turkey and cleaning it? Not so much with the fun," she laughed, smiling up at Parker. "It sounds like a plan. I'd hug you but you might hurt me." Isabel grinned, and prepared to duck if Parker tried to thwap her.

Parker aimed a thwap at Isabel's head, designed to miss, and then leaned over and gave her a quick, barely-there-then-gone hug. "It'll get better. Annnnnd, never reveal that I just did that. To anyone."