Solar interlude: Amity Bytes visitation

In the neon-lit citystreets of the Solar Society, on the corner wine cellar shopee of El/Le street two partisans met in the shade. One a verifiable front of secrets and ways, the other an industrial monolith of means onto herself. "Rather chilly place for a talk?" Amity said, looking over into the store. "Don't suppose you came here to buy me wine first?" She asked, her latex bodysuit underneath slick with the raindrops soaking through her robes.
"Not exactly." The other replied, her face hidden behind a mask. The other woman replied, her face hidden behind a mask. "It's a message." Amity looked confused, before pulling back the sleeve of her bodysuit. A logo was printed on her forearm. "The address you were after is hidden in the logo." The hacker recognized the logo - Blightstone's signature mark. "A secret message. You can meet me at that location then." Amity raised her hood slightly confused. "Why didn't you just arrange to talk there first?" she asked.

"There's enough eyes about here to recognize us both. I'll come meet you there." She answered. Amity was skeptical, "I think you've got something up your sleeve." Amity replied. The other was already gone, walking quickly into the darkness. Amity looked at the logo again.

A week passed. She had never seen the inside of Blightstone's HQ before. Amity had to ascend atleast 40 flights of stairs to reach the top living quarters, numerous staff greeting her on the way in. The golden manor had a chandelier immediately after she stepped in. All of the expensive furniture was quality vinyl, the carpet of a recognized Vygian design that went with the matching architecture of the hallway's curved arches and brick-wall stove. She picked up a large scroll on a table, that read 'Project Solar Scholar: Acquisition Arrangements in progress'. She had no idea what it was about. Finally the women of the hour walked down without her mask. Amity Byte swallowed hard, the figure who looked just like her mother. Circumstantial Multiversality she was told, an effect of temporal space that sometimes lead to repeated instances within parallel operations of existence - effectively, versions of yourself and others existing on separate worlds.

"Follow me." OIdalia lead her into the kitchen. The room was spacious and warm, with a round glass table to sit around. Amity's mother, or atleast the woman who looked like her had a pale yet flushed face, in the rounded shape of a heart, which gave her a look that was similar to that of Amity. Despite being from different worlds, the genetic resemblances were there- this women was a splitting image of Odalia Byte, and the way she confident spoke, even the perfumey way she smelt was undeniably reminiscent.

"Miss Blightstone I...I..." Amity observed her, not knowing what to say. Her mother stopped talking for a second, then finished. "I was just going to ask you the same thing. I'm sorry about before, it was just to early to be meeting somebody else for the first time in such, unique circumstances. It was a bad moment. I'm sorry if I've scared you." Her not-mother added. Amity Byte gave a nervous laugh. "It's fine, I don't care about that. You're not the same Odalia we know, and I'm not your Amity. We're separate people." Amity replied, taking a seat. "It's just I'm used to being in the company of a mask. I'm used to being the lone wolf. I kind of ran away from my mother and her company at a young age so.."


"I can imagine." Odalia remarked.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't." Amity replied.

"Of course. May I offer you a drink?" The older looking woman asked, taking a small pitcher from the countertop. It was water. "It's water." She clarified, giving the girl a questioning look. "I'm older than you, by a fairly good deal." Amity said, despite their looks.
"I'm 184, good hex bless I'm still young at heart. But if you'd like some alcohol I can spare some for such a privileged guest."
 

Odalia said, pouring the water into two glass tumblers. "I'm not very good at socializing. If you want to know more, or ask, feel free to use the time we have to chat. It's alright, we can even keep this more covert." She offered the other woman some glass. The girl with green hair and pink-highlights took it and drank the wine like it was poison on a suicidal binge. They got comfortable.

"Did you really want to find your mother?" Odalia asked. "Even after you ran away from her."

"I was just so used to being alone, I had to get out. The Solar Society was the best place to do it. People like me have no place in society."

"But you were young then." Odalia commented, taking a sip of her drink.
"Yes, and Sandra says that Xi still considers Ms. Byte a fugitive. I know she's still alive, but I could use some advice. Your DNA will help but, you're the closest way to get into her head."
"My head?" Odalia laughed jokingly.

"The brain. I'm used to the idea, but it's still a bit strange to me. I'm used to being my own person, you know? It was a necessity for me to make it this far. I'm used to having no ties to anyone, let alone to the things I've done. And now you, and the company I've kept have put me at the back of a big clock. I know how that feels. You're not my mother, not Odalia Byte. I've spent so long looking for you, to talk to you, to find out what you're up to. All to find out why my own mother is hiding."

"I'm sorry, that sounds terrible." She added.

"It's fine. It's what I am."

"It was all a mistake." Amity sighed, "But how do we start?"

"By taking things one step at a time." Odalia replied. "Firstly I'm going to help you with Sandra. The girl is probably still unaware of what you did to her, that her own mother had betrayed her. You performed the operation to take the tracking and psiionic nanites out of her bloodstream didn't you? I don't imagine a god of data would be happy about that. But she's since begun to bridge your old world for you, inspite of not knowing your little favor. That girl is bound to be lonely. Help her to understand that you'll never leave her again. She deserves to trust you. Do this for her."
 

"You're good at this. But Sandra isn't my friend. She's.. I like her alot and what she's brought to the table, but I'm still conflicted on whether I can rely on her yet." Amity observed, remembering her own conversations with her. "She's a genius, a good partner for sure. The SS research department is head over heels for her. But I, despite what I've offered her still don't trust her. I don't want to talk to her. I'm used to working alone."

"Is it because you're afraid what she'll do to 'your' Odalia? My my my, how unfair is that? The person you idolized, the mentor you tried to follow, the one who could've given you a great life, is now just another face in the crowd. But you need to know this isn't really about Sandra, it's about you."

"How do I take that? Ugh nevermind, how do I find my mother? I cannot rely on Sandra or Xi right now, I'm sorry."
"So you intend to go behind Sandra's back and that of SS and the Xi, just to find her. She'll be so touched, finding her girl as big a scoundrel as her." Odalia rolled her neck around, looking at the expensive portraits and vases. Her bitter tastes were ever vain and despite the musky smell of an old aged bygone era, Odalia Blightstone felt the weight of history upon her. She rubbed the tattoo's along her neck.

Odalia Brightstone whispered something under her warm breath, tattoo's glowing and flickering on, until they showed a projection of light on the wall.
 

"This is a map of the solar system and the local stars. In the middle are our home planets. Each blue line is a planet, each star indicates a star system, and the hexagons are space stations. The orange lines are the old Solar Society's territorial systems. The red lines are the old Blightstone's systems. When my mother almost hit poverty, she sold many of them off from her company rather than lose her lavish lifestyle or our delicate valuables. The purple lines are mine. The star's indicate what I have in store for my family, and as you can see I've got quite the bit to store." She took a long sip and glared at Amity with serious intent.

"So where is she?" Amity asked.
"This dot here- see this planet? My mother refused to lose it, so she sold it to a valuable proprietor in the Hex Church. Sistori Ragyo in the upper hands chambers, she gave it to her for hiding. She owns the property as a formality, but she's merely holding it for safe keeping. You won't find it on any public records or recordings, its cloaked and blacklisted. Should our fortunes ever turn south, me, the twins and Parsha will be hiding on that world in refuge." The woman stood up, removing her top vest and sleeves, exposing her raw tattoos to Amity. There was a single red dot on her navel with a series of green spirals and inked runes around it.
 

"We're both adults and people with agency. Neither of us are really at risk of dying anytime soon, and the Hexes or anyone else will help you get there. It's only a planet, I've bought many, not just one. Besides, if your mother doesn't want to be found by you, she wouldn't give her location to me. In fact, it's likely that if she's alive, she's moved on." There was a smirk on her lips. "But if your mother is truly my equal, as laughable as that is to believe, she'll have secrets and backup locations like that. This is how she thinks, so that's your clue. You were her heir right? Surely you can figure her out better than I. And if you can find her, she'll want you to have her company, and I'm sure she's not going to hide that from you." She walked towards the door, hand on the doorknob. When she opened it up, a perky girl hopped through.

"Hiiii mom!" Parsha skipped and threw her arms around Odalia giggling. "Like today at school was wild! They tried to teach us how to, scream to trees and stuff n I said OMG that's soooo mean! We should leave trees alone."
Amity cringed. "Don't tell me this is-"

Odalia shrugged. "Was. She was you." her arms lapped around Parsha's shoulder patting her. "Now she's a bit more docile and complacent, but her grades have suffered as a result. Students can be so cruel.. I have wanted her to get into you-know-where."

Amity sighed. She cracked her knuckles, creating circles around her arms and wrists. "I'll see what I can do.."

The room was dark and still except for the moon and star light shinning through the window. The wind howled around the dark halls as the woman stood at the window with her family and gazed at the blackness of the night sky, and the moon. They were high above the world, the ground far below. With the breeze whistling in, Amity concentrated. She wasn't as good as the Hex as say Protlyn, or as adept at Alchemy at Theo, but she could make a few adjustments here there. The girl put her hands on Parsha's temples and concentrated on her aura.

The purple circles began to expand descend over Parsha, multiplying and wrapping her in a silky cocoon of light. Slowly, Parsha's chest started to deflate, pimples, freckles and blemishes appearing across her skin. The sneakers she wore became sporty sneakers her hair became greyish pink in color, and her curvy form started to turn more lanky uptop her flattened chest while keeping the curves of her hips and thighs, inheriting more of them from her mother. Her clothes began to dissolve until she was wearing flannel overalls, rubber leggings around her legs and buttocks stretching over her sleek wear.

Parsha frowned. "Waaaaait oh my gawd am I going to turn into a beast or a dragon or a hippopotamus?" She began to feel strange. She looked down at her arm with the strange mark on it and she giggled.

The last of the magic began to fade from Amity's hands and she collapsed on the floor as a young girl of 16 or 17 appeared in front of her. The girl looked at her mother, then Amity and raised her eyebrows. Parsha's mouth now had braces, eyewear over her face. Her hair was unkempt and  "Well.. Am I.. dopphf you liek etpph?" She asked. She raised her arms and shook her body, her voice changing more with each word. "Loohhlpt mommy, I lookshh like you!" She couldn't help but notice the lisp on her speech, giving a slight 'eep' as her jewel stone gave a nova's glow. "Bhhbt the Hexppsss!" Knowledge of the vaunted Hex filled her brain, from many craft guilds and memories she now remembered, new methods and empirical pursuits flooding her mind. The girl felt dorkier by the minute, Parsha giggled, even as her brainpower grew and mind swelled with knowledge of the Hex. "Ohhh I'm a smarthhpty girl nmmhw!" She exclaimed a little jollily. "Why am I thpeaking like ttthis? Pleathe stahp!"

Amity backed away. "Do you feel like Parsha now, or, Amity?" She asked, trying to ignore the weirdness of using her own name.
Parsha shrugged. "My nameth Ppttarsha!" She felt fixed her glasses. "But, ith is easpptier to 'ink now!"
Odalia folded her arms.

"For my services, I'd like you to upend your end of our agreement. A way to get closer to the secrets of the Hex. I do believe you are acquainted with its founder." Odalia smirked.
Amity froze up. "How would you-"
"Please dear, don't play dumb. I know what I know."
"Oh?" Amity felt as if it were just yesterday she was rescuing Mercy from her plight, and before she knew it that girl grew up, started her movement and became the revered founder of the Hex. When she was resurrected in her teenage gaze, her and Amity kept cordial. She sighed.
"You know what I want. The founder. The seeress." Odalia pinched her fingers together. "I need an in." The industrialist stood up.
"Fine. I'll enroll your daughter. Give me a minute to make the call."
"Atta girl. You may not be my daughter, but you do show as much suggestion as one would hope." Odalia sat back down in her chair and sipped her wine. She went to go call Mercy and work things out.

Back in the dining room, Parsha's brother and sister came out peaking from the stairs.
"Hey mom, who is that chick?" Edric asked.
Emira was curious aswell. "I've seen her around a lot of Hex gatherings in SS, is she a member of the church?"

Odalia scoffed. "If she is a Hex her name would come up in any background checks. She's simply a hired hand." The girl patted both on the head. "Have you been mastering the talismans I've given you?"  she asked.

"Yes." Her brother and sister agreed.
"Good. Here, I'd like to test your skills." The industrialist motioned to the window where the girl was. "Once she comes back in, subdue her."

The boy's looked at his mother and was about to reply when his sister started to giggle. Edric rolled his eyes. "Geez." He said under his breath, looking at her with a slight scowl on his face. Amity came back into the room and froze up. The splitting visage of her two siblings, still young stood right before the adult women, it was eerie to say the least. "Eldric? Emira?" She asked.

The two held up small 6-sixed wooden totems and clapped them together. "Seal of Wood, cease for good. Oak Bind of the blackwood forest." They said in unison, Amity's body suddenly finding roots growing from her legs and hips which wrapped around and swiftly cocoon'd her from the neck down until she was completely bound.
 

"What the hell?!" She yelled.  "This is impossible! My powers-!" Her voice went hoarse as her voice began to distort, her eyes glazed over, her skin started to take on the color of the earth. She couldn't form any words. She felt like she was going to faint. But she forced her strength to keep up with her growing size. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open as her face began to shrink and swell. The girl closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "What.. the.. hell.. did.. you just.. did?"
Amity felt the branches squeeze her tighter, her neck squirming. The girl's eyes started to swell shut and her lips trembled and parted. "Ki.. Ki.. Kin.. Kin.. Kin.. " she choked out before she could utter a single incantation.

Odalia frowned and looked at the girl. "Thank you for your services, but I cannot have you revealing any of my secrets now can I? You'll have to be going away for a little while. A temporary shift into motherhood while I search for a few things." She picked up the scroll from the living room and walked by, adding lipstick to her lips and blowing gently out them. Suddenly her skin started to turn pale white, hair a silvery metallic sheen with a multitude of streaked rainbow colors. The woman's outfit turned into yellow rubber and white gloves appeared on her hands, curvy swirling tattoos spreading from her navel outwards. Her face, now a visage of clownish distortion smirked as she went over to Amity, her eyelids and brows dyed with vivid neon colors and saturated green eyeshadow.

"K-kaliedomancy?" Amity choked.

"Mhm." Odalia grinned. Her hands went around Amity's neck, pinching before she brushed her cheeks. With another press, the girl started to feel like soft clay. Before her skin became as smooth as porcelain, it suddenly gave off a crackle as all the air trapped inside was replaced with an oily liquid polishing her smooth and sheeny. The girl's clothes melted and peeled off her completely, her skin finally becoming a smooth white color. Amity felt every part of her body growing and squeaking, her hair turning into reddish ringlets, the oil secreting like a rash until it turned her skin to latex fabric- polkadots appearing on a skirt and apron she didn't have before, all in molded latex merged to her body.

"Mhpff." Her lips pouted out, turning juicy red and stained with thick red lipstick. Spirals swirled along her eyes, her entire body was morphing into a vintage shape of a domesticated women. White pearls appeared along her neck, and she suddenly thought in some respects they looked rather classy, perfect for dinner night and bake sales. "Eurgh!" She puked up the red and purple liquid that was once her insides. The girl's breath came faster as her eyes shut. She felt dizzy. Everything went black. She felt so good. She knew she was getting some sort of feeling she'd never felt before. The feeling of doting, simple minded motherhood, desires to cook and clean overwhelming her and burying all else.

Odalia put on her coat by the doorway. She was back to her original self. "Mommy's going out to auntie Mannerly's kids, be good while your new 'nanny' takes care of you."

A smiling 50's stepford women came out to greet the three, not a trace or vestige of Amity to be found. She wore oven mitts and smiled without fault. "Hello dear sweet children, who wants to help bake gingerbread?" She asked sickly sweet with a dim sing-song lilt to her voice.

Amity's family sat on their butts, staring at the transformed version of Amity.

They looked at their mother.

They looked at their nanny.

They looked at Amity Byte - now Ameila Goodbite.

"Wew..." they all said as one.

The nanny looked at the children. "Oh you poor darlings, are you not feeling well? No, no that must not be it. I just want to check the oven. You'll find we make wonderful gingerbread here, wouldn't want anything to go wrong with the holiday. You just stay here and be dandy and I'll be back in a jiffy with something yummy." Miss Goodbite said.

The family stared at their new nanny with their new mother in an awkward silence, as if they were watching their new nanny change into a weird creature right before their very eyes. When the perfected rubbery housewife left, they looked at Odalia one last time, who grinned before waving them goodbye and leaving down the stairs.
 
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A week later, Hemlock Grove Academy
Mercy wrote on a chalkboard to a very bored class. "There are 7 known Novus, each are the arbiter and aspective major of their own domains of being. Reality bends to their will as they dictate." She stood up and faced the chalkboard, which was decorated with a picture of their school mascot Squiggles, a grinning, blue-skinned androgynous humanoid creature. The class watched her with interest and excitement, the kind of excitement that sent planes and papers at each other averting them from her lesson notes. Mercy was a rather good teacher, but her enthusiasm next to what her class displayed was sure to make it difficult for a novice student to pay attention.

[The 7 known Novus as provided by SS Divinity Researcher, Interdimensional diplomatrius and Grand Magus of Xi, Sandra:
▢God of Order and Rule|Novus Octavius
▢God of Difference and Dialects|Novus Binarium
▢God of Pleasure and Pain|Novus Auxiliatrix
▢God of Love and Gospel|Novus Harmonica
▢God of Truth and Sincerity|Novus Cormeum
▢God of Life and Death|Novus Grahim
▢God of Clarity and Reason|Novus Intellica]