fandomhighdorms | The deck, Saturday afternoon

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The deck, Saturday afternoon

Dinah got back from her coffee chat of GREAT JUSTICE! with Daisy to find that the deck? Was decorated with streamers, balloons, glitter, noisemakers, hats, and wow, flowers.

So a keyed-up Canary was currently batting a balloon around like she was still a cat, and considering ordering a cake to go with all this stuff, wondering whose birthday it was.

TWEEEET!

[open!]

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"Here I'm particularly fond of horses," Helen admitted. "But I do like spiders and other insects and mice and such. They were the only animals you could find where I was raised - not that they were pets, of course, just that you can always find those types of creatures around."

She saw Dinah's glance at her arm and let it shift into her favorite form, that of an elephant's trunk, and reached it out to grab the hat Dinah still had. "And yes, I was foretold as the one to bring about the Wider Times. Which I did."

Dinah's eyes widened in impressed shock, and she took a moment to just stare before grinning. "Whooooa. Awesome!" She grabbed another cupcake for herself, and watched Helen in fascination. "Does that hurt at all? And.. Wider Times. That's different. What are they wider than?"

Helen shook her head. "Most forms don't hurt at all. When I was trapped on a cannibal world I turned it into their totem of heads biting each other. That hurt and bled."

"The Wider Times are, well... at one time the worlds of my, universe, maybe? They were all interconnected. They became narrowed and shut off from one another. You could say I opened them again."

"Euuuugh. Ow. Totems-- that's not even alive. You can turn your arm into things like wood or stone?" That had to be useful in a fight.

"Cooooool," was Dinah's opinion. "It is cool, right?" She checked. "Not some kind of problem?"

"I can turn it into anything really," Helen admitted, then ducked her head. "The priests say it's a gift from Uquar. My father said it was an abomination and wanted me killed. I was born with my arm deformed and as a baby somehow learned to make myself look normal."

"And Uquar's your god," Dinah said, then frowned. "Wow. Your dad... That's beyond harsh. I'm glad he didn't get his wish." She frowned at Helen's arm again, in curiosity, not disgust, though. "Is that what it looks like when you don't think about it now?"

"Sometimes I wonder if he was right," Helen admitted, "but mostly I'm glad the priests rescued me."

She looked down at her now perfectly normal looking arm. "It usually looks just like this unless I make it different." She did something that made it semi-transparent so Dinah could see the small deformed arm under the surface. "That's... that's the way it was made when I was born."

"He wasn't right." Dinah was totally convinced of this. Kill a baby? Gah! "And I'm glad they did too." She tiltd her head to study the arm under the surface. "As birth defects go, that's not the kind of thing anyone would kill a little kid for here. Not that we do that for anyone! It's just-- that seems like an extreme reaction. Was it because of the prophecy?"

"My world is a very harsh one," Helen said quietly. "Deformed children are routinely killed. MY mother talked him into not killing me at birth, giving her a few months with me. When I learned to do this he contacted the priests and asked if he could kill me as being an abomination. They examined me and said I was the prophesied one and my parents should raise me until I was five and then bring me to the temple. I haven't seen my parents since then."

"I'm sorry. That happens here, in some countires, but. It's something that isn't as common. But we've got really good medicine, now." She was quiet a moment, thinking about her own childhood. "Do you miss them? Or ever want to see them again?" She could guess that 'yes and no' was the answer, but still had to ask.

"I wish I could see my mother," Helen admitted softly. "I don't really remember her except for a few memories of her taking care of me and singing to me. My father... I remember his anger and hatred and how happy he was when he could get rid of me. I don't want to ever see him again."

"I... get that. I was separated from my mom at the same age, almost. I never knew my dad." She was quiet a moment, then said, "But I have a family now. Are you happy with the priests?"

Helen laughed. "They are incredibly strict. They are not only leaders of the religious community, they are also my world's top scholars and soldiers. I was the only female. I spent from dawn till late at night studying, scolded harshly when I did not meet their strict standards. It was not an easy way to live."

"And they have exiled me twice. Once for discovering the beings controlling the worlds and a second time to this school once the prophesy was fulfilled. Happy? No. Not really. But it was all the home I knew and I miss it."

"Then I'm even more glad you're here," Dinah decided. Her friendship with Arthur hadn't changed her opinion that people should get to do what they want, no matter how elevated their station was supposed to be. "Have a cupcake."

"Thank you," Helen said with a shy smile. "But... do I need to wear thw hat?"

"Ony if you want to," Dinah promised, then grinned and put it on. "I can wear it for you if you don't want."

Helen laughed again. "It suits you. You have such a bright personality."

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The deck, Saturday afternoon

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