Mushball universe, anyone who'd like to talk to Jou

[yellowlion]

I sit on the grass in our rear yard, legs crossed, and try to let myself sink into a meditative state. I don't do this very often. It's usually helpful, when I do.

I had the oddest feeling when I first met Joe, that I'd met him before. That this was meant to happen, in some way. Except he should've been wearing a blue leather jacket, and he was in tears, in my lab. Not a shy, troubled schoolkid convinced everything was his fault.

I pushed it aside as a stupid dream. When you have weird-ass dreams all the time anyway it's only too easy to assign meaning to them later.

But now? Now I'm beginning to wonder.

Comments

[bluedolphin]

I haven't had a lot of "mothering" time with Joe since Marvelous's visit. He insisted on going back to school. If it helps him maintain some sense of familiarity, it's a good thing. He'll feel better with his friends around him.

It doesn't make me feel any better.

I know it's wrong to favour one kid above the others. I love Katsumi and Kazari, but Joe's always been my "baby", the one I most felt like I had to protect. I was resigned to him leaving home soon for university, but that's a bit different from vanishing into space with a crew of aliens. While it's a shock to find out that he's older than we thought, and not human, I love him. He's still my little boy.

What will I ever do without him?

I'll go and bring Jou a cup of tea. Jou understands.

[hotshotlightning]

Okay. Okay, that's it. There's something going on and no-one's talking and it's frustrating as anything. Jou and the others are all walking around like the world's about to end - which hopefully it isn't, but it's always an option given our history - and Joe's hiding something as well.

Kazari doesn't know anything either, which is about the only saving grace in this whole situation. I want to know what's going on, damn it, and catching Jou by himself might be my only chance.

"Alright," I say, standing in front of him with my arms crossed across my chest. "Spill. What's going on?"

[gibken]

For the first time since moving into this particular house, I find myself reluctant to go home. Not because I don't want to be around my family, because obviously I do. I'd rather be with them than with virtual strangers, that's for damn sure, my memory (memories?) be damned.

But I'm not sure if I can handle another round of 'think about it carefully' and 'it's your decision' and 'we love you and support whatever you decide'. I don't want to decide anything. Even if I'm not actually a high school kid, I still feel like one. I wasn't even ready to start making decisions about what I wanted to study at university, much less seriously life-altering decisions like 'stay at home with your loving parents or go back to being a pirate'.

But I think everyone involved would have a heart attack if I just disappeared onto the moon forever, so I drag myself home.