several kinds

[thaumobabble]

Glass appears in the Belltower, where the Jokers less Felicity are still assembled.

"There are," she announces, "kinds of you."

Comments

[thaumobabble]

"That's," says Glass, and she peers at them all again, "a serviceable word for it, better than 'amounts' anyway."

[pythbox]

"Harley got rescued before he was any phase," War continues, "he's been off course for most of his life. Me and Sue... I'm not sure, it's harder to see from the inside. Aianon, I feel like he got off course just about when he hit his island; the way he remembers being before then is like middle-phase with more fear. Ansharil is weird, he was never on course in the first place but when he met Aianon he got to be the same phase right away before they went off to the island."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"You and Sue had that Battle School thing," says Queenie. "Pretty sure that's where it starts for you."

[thaumobabble]

"I wonder what affects when you move from phase to phase."

[manofmyword]

"It's pretty obvious how you become a retiree," says the Joker. "Not gonna say that's the only way, but there's only the one we've seen."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"I'd almost say... but Nona killed her dad, and she's still not in the middle," says Queenie. "For us old folks it was definitely that."

[growcrooked]

"...I killed him," she says slowly, "but I didn't leave home. We're still living in the castle. I didn't - wander."

[thaumobabble]

"Hmmmmmm."

[yourheartstrings]

"Mmm?" says Ghosty inquiringly.

[thaumobabble]

"Just, wandering seems like an apt word for the middle bunch. Fits aesthetically."

[manofmyword]

"That it does," the Joker agrees.

[pythbox]

"I don't wander," Celo points out.

"Nah, you go to school instead," says Jellybean.

[thaumobabble]

Glass nods. "That's a sub-phase."

[pythbox]

"Mm, more like a variant," says War. "Sub-phase would be like it's something everybody goes through. Did I do school instead of wandering that way? Guess I did." He and Sue both glance thoughtfully at Jellybean.

[thaumobabble]

"As you like. I'm only getting this very faintly," says Glass.

[pythbox]

"So what do we call the other thing?" says Jellybean. "The kinds. Just 'kinds'?"

[thaumobabble]

"Clusters, maybe?"

[pythbox]

"'Clusters'. Sure," says Jellybean. "What are they? I mean, can you tell us anything about the way that Corona and the new kid are different from the rest of us are different from the extras?"

[thaumobabble]

"Not just by looking at you. Maybe if I looked at you next to whatever's different, or something. I mean, I can make guesses. It's near the requisite-amount-of-suffering attractor..."

[pythbox]

"It could be the obvious thing," says Corona. "It almost has to be the obvious thing, at least partly, doesn't it?"

[thaumobabble]

"Er, what obvious thing, should I know the obvious thing?"

[manofmyword]

"No, I don't think you do," says the Joker.

[pythbox]

Corona sighs.

"The big group of us that you said was one cluster, they all grew up with a dad who hit them," he says. "Or would've, in Harley's case. I grew up with a stepdad who raped me. He hit me, too, but it's the other thing that's different."

[thaumobabble]

"Oh. Um, should Elspeth know?"

[pythbox]

"I dunno, should she?" says Corona. "I don't know her as well as some of you guys."