TFS: Burnt Earth

Connor – 35 years ago

You know, I thought they broke her when they sucked out her memories. I was wrong. How do I know? Oh, because now she well and truly is broken all to fuck.

While she’s converted, it’s not working the same as it has for the rest of us. There are some bright sides. One, she’s tethered to the Sentry. Family through blood…and blood. Two, she didn’t die. Fairly sure her conscience did, but that might be more to do with the memory stone than the conversion. Three, she’s not bored. She really enjoys the pit. Overly enjoys it. Obsessed with it, if I’m honest. It’s borderline disturbing. That leads to bright side number four. Enhanced endurance and a supernatural healing ability. Though she didn’t get the shapeshifting, or any other elemental specialty, she did get the basic props. Probably for the best. She’s a nightmare on wheels with what she has. Anything more would likely be the straw breaking my back. Yeah, I’m the camel in this analogy.

Great big giant reprieve. While Sheelin takes, she also gives. In the confines of this safe place, energy is distributed to those in need. Molly’s needy incarnate, and she’s developed a strong relationship with Sheelin, so my gluttonous sister never goes hungry. Her best bitch wouldn’t allow that to happen. Of course, it doesn’t stop the hunger entirely, but abatement is obviously preferred over total withdrawal. Downside, she won’t learn to strengthen her control without hitting the dregs of her energy well. No, I don’t want her to suffer. Not in any way. Don’t think that. It’s just she has to be able to advance. I don’t see a path forward for her unless Sheelin teaches some hard lessons.

Strictly speaking, Sheelin feedings are a bit meh on the joy scale. It’s like drinking water. You need it. You drink it. It does the job fine of quenching your thirst, but it’s more of a replenishing through osmosis. You don’t even realize it’s happening. In terms of retention, the energy Sheelin feeds you gets used upon receipt. It’s only meant to sustain. Not prolong. There’s no storage.

Conversely, you definitely realize when it’s not happening because the withdrawal kicks in immediately. It’s generally best not to piss Sheelin off. Most of the Sentry does liquid intake as payment for missions. They try not to rely on Sheelin too much since her cooperation, albeit warranted, is mood-based. She tends to hold grudges. Can you really blame her? She’s got a bunch of ungrateful fucks traipsing through her innards on a regular basis, while barely paying her any notice for what she’s providing. We’re shitty tenants. I’m surprised she doesn’t just digest us and get on about her business. Would serve us right.

Liquid feeding for a Sumair…that’s different. It’s a whole experience. It’s flavoured water. You feel every iota of that glorious energy fusing with each individual cell in your body when you take it in. It packs a punch that makes drinking plain water pale in comparison. We call that joy juice, or Solathair shots, and it comes in cute little vials for convenient slurping. In terms of longevity, it’s right alongside live feeding, lasting for a few months at a time.

The closest thing Molly’s ever come to liquid feeding is swallowing down a landing stone on a dare. She never backs down from dares. Consequently, she got a taste of what she considered delicious candy. She liked it. Too much. So much so, her hungry ass made her way to the Stone Room and went right to town munching through the Earth Solathair landing stone barrel.

They hauled her out fast enough, and installed a door guard to prevent further decimation of their travel resource, but her actions…fuck. I tried to reason with her, explain what she was actually scarfing down. Did that help? Yeah, no. She gave no fucks she was eating what are essentially souls of dead Solathairs.

When a Solathair dies, their essence consolidates into a landing stone, instead of dispersing into the universe. The encapsulation process works the same for Sumairs, only they form a departure stone. The stones are trapped souls, and they’re used for transportation. With four stones—eight if we’re being technical—you can transport to and from Sheelin. To leave, whether it’s from Sheelin or anywhere else, you need four departure stones, one for each element of air, earth, fire, and water. When you depart, the stones dissolve. One-time use. Disposable. That’s us. Where you land is dependent on the landing stones. Same concept of four, one for each element. Those do not dissolve. They’re permanent...unless your sister eats them.

If her taste for landing stones is any indication, fuck knows what’ll happen if she ever gets a fresh kill. Fresh kills are the ultimate in energy replenishment. If Sheelin osmosis is water, and liquid feeding or landing stones are flavoured water, then fresh kills are a carbonated beverage.

If she gets a taste of that, how will I stop her? How do you explain to someone with no conscience their actions are unconscionable? News flash, you can’t. There’s no fucking way. Best I can do is try to appeal to her sense of self-preservation. There’s been glimmers of that. Super small glimmers but glimmers nonetheless.

Fuck me, you know what? I’m part of the problem here instead of the solution. I mean in a larger way than just being the reason she was sucked up from her human life. My descriptions are bojank. Okay, let’s rewind, and I’ll do some editing. Let’s not call it feeding. Let’s call it medicating. Sheelin offers a topical cream. More like a spray I guess. Fucking semantics. Medicine can also be dosed out in liquid or pill form. Solathairs are the IV. Direct line. Whew. That’s much better.

While we’re on the topic of Solathair IVs, Solathairs in transition (they start out human…sort of) are the crème of the crop. Any Sumair, regardless of element, can medicate from them. Something about their Solathair blood running alongside their human blood dilutes the element enough it isn’t harmful to us. Matching elements (earth to earth) taste…sorry, work the best, but any will suffice. Slurping up the essence of a fully transitioned Solathair of a different element is akin to putting the wrong gas in the fuel tank. Not great for continued drivability, if you get my meaning.

Fuck, I wonder how long I can postpone the inevitable with regards to her medication options. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her. Or me. Mostly her. Ignorance really is bliss. Her bliss. My bliss. The Sentry’s bliss. Any Solathair in transition’s bliss. Basically, her ignorance is everyone’s bliss. That I’m confident of.