“Hi, Thassalin!” Phovos smiled uneasily as she and Phovoula entered the guard tower, which had Thassalin’s wings wrapped around it. For some reason, Thassalin was massive and had twisted himself around the tower, just sticking his head into the main entrance. “Oh, hi Arkay! Hi Litvir! What’s up?”
Arkay shrugged and Litvir grunted. Phovos always found the mood of normal Rethans hard to decipher outside of basic emotions, but Litvir wasn’t normal and he was clearly very angry and feeling very concerned.
“We have a Time Drake problem that apparently needs your help to fix!” Litvir hissed. “Everyone suddenly wants kids.”
“And it’s not a telepathic thing?” Phovoula asked. “Because that sounds like a telepathic thing.”
“Litvir and Eksi have already checked,” Arkay answered somewhat. “If it was a telepathic thing, it’d affect all of us, and right now, those who are vehemently anti-kid are mostly unaffected.”
“Simply put, in her bid to become the perfect mother, Elksia is affecting the time strings of other people, not just herself. I’m not sure if Elksia is aware of what she’s doing, but because there are potential timelines where those with kids can and will have kids, Elksia’s making sure those eventually happen while making sure that her kid-filled future goes exactly how she wants it to.”
“And who is this affecting right now?” Phovoula asked. “Because me and Phovos literally can’t have kids and 100% don’t want kids in any way what so ever.”
Thassalin tutted. “You’re a Voidborn, that does thankfully make you sterile, but Phovos is potentially capable of parthenogenesis because she is a Life Goddess. Paradoxically, her being a Life Goddess is also what is stopping that from happening, because Phovos’s desires beat out many Time Drake alterations. The Threanics are most in danger because they are all potentially compatible species, and Kuta and Ret have been a particular problem because they can and will have kids at some point, I am doing my best to delay them. Elkay and Teekay are also considering having unprotected sex because of Elksia’s manipulations, and I am concerned about them both, which is why I suggested that Litvir stagger their shifts. Thankfully most of the folks here are single-species or all of one gender, but I have been altering scenarios so that Vikalos remains at base and does not travel, because he is trying to figure out where the babies Itaviir and Galyn fathered are being kept. Nyssi is also in danger, she is a flight risk since she is considering taking a ship and visiting Fragiir at the Pink Paradise and it seems they are in fact compatible. I have been requesting a lot from Akah, since his cold powers will cool everyone else down, and Tanos.”
“Is that why there’s no hot water right now?” Arkay blinked. “You’re running counter-actions to get around Elksia’s string manipulations in a way that she can’t quite detect.”
“Exactly. Which is why I have asked you to come here and not Elkay. Elkay mimics Elksia and she can detect that, but you routinely switch between mimicking Elksia, mimicking me and using your own hybrid system based on the Child Kairos’s powers, which, combined with your complete inability to reproduce in any way, means you have not been affected. Since Akah knows he can’t have kids and is completely asexual, he has been vital in keeping everyone else calm too, and him making it snow across Savepoint has been a key distraction for everyone else. I was considering using Tahvra to briefly contaminate the water and sedate everyone but that has a potential to do the opposite effect for Nyssi, who is not in a good spot currently.”
“Well, that’s all terrifying!” Phovoula exclaimed. “But how do we come into this? I really hope you’re not suggesting Phovos and I use our deeper powers or something to magically fix it all!”
Thassalin shook his head. “The solution is actually quite simple. I just need another Time Drake here who isn’t Elkay. Because Elkay mimics Elksia’s powers, he is also unknowingly mimicking her changes to try and make everyone have a kid. With both Elksia and Elkay not on Time Drake guard duty and another Time Drake countering Elksia’s systems, once the egg hatches, everything should go back to normal.”
Arkay scratched his head in confusion. “Oh, so this isn’t permanent? Elksia’s not going to do this forever?”
“Once the egg hatches, Elksia will start actually being a mother. Right now, she is mentally preparing herself and is stressed.”
“Alright… so… new question, where do we find another Time Drake?”
Phovos glanced at Thassalin, then tutted. “Bringing Sini here would be a fucking stupid idea…”
“It is a risky idea, and Sini may be unwilling to even help, but we need to speak to Sini, in person, and convince her that she needs to come here and she also needs to not be herself. She will understand, especially since Elksia is already doing something Sini wants, it will only be for a 4-ev and Sini will get to be present when the egg hatches. But at the same time, Phovos, you will have to look after Sini’s oasis, because she will not leave it unattended. Sini will probably ask for a few smaller things, but I can’t tell what they are yet.”
Phovoula nudged Phovos. “We basically get a free holiday and you get to spend some time with your weird brother.”
Phovos shrugged. “You’re right. So, are we heading off straight away?”
Thassalin nodded. “We will. But Arkay, you have to stay here. I’ve checked branches and we have a higher chance of success if I speak to Sini than if you do. Litvir, you will need to accompany me and the Raptors, your silver tongue will be useful in making a deal with the Allbirther.”
“Good. I need some time away from Retvik anyway.”
Arkay shot Litvir a telepathic message, but Litvir just rolled his eyes, heavily hinting that he’d explain later.
“Alright, at least we have a plan!” Arkay perked up. “I’ll stick around in here for a bit. I don’t mind.”
“Thank you, Arkay!” Thassalin smiled. “We need to get going though. Fast. Before something bad happens…”