Marsh

marsh/content/012.tex

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ The cores were insubstantial spheres, ghostly, translucent. Little double handfu
 
 All except one.
 
-Right before the platform sat one core more real than the rest, a matte \emph{Eigengrau} with a faint blue haze around it. The platform drifted forward until the sphere rested at the center before Dry Grass at chest level, us Marshans --- along with Pierre and Vos --- parting to make way for it.
+Right before the platform sat one core more real than the rest, a matte \emph{Eigengrau} with a faint blue haze around it. The platform drifted forward until the sphere rested at the center before Dry Grass at chest level, us Marshans—along with Pierre and Vos—parting to make way for it.
 
 As the platform came to a stop, the blue haze disappeared and one more chime of acknowledgement sounded. ``Marsh of the Marsh clade,'' an androgynous voice spoke. ``Crashed via CPV January 1, 2400, 00:00:03. Core deemed corrupt and unrecoverable by automated process, confirmed by an instance of In The Wind of her own clade, systech ID \#88aa6e70.''
 
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ As the platform came to a stop, the blue haze disappeared and one more chime of
 
 She hesitated, a wave of grief, of frustration and sorrow, crossing her face. She bowed unsteadily, and then moved to stand by Cress, Tule, and I. Whether intentional or not, she stood so that Lily was blocked from sight by the three of us.
 
-It had to be intentional, and that fact, seeing her cowed for the first time in my memory --- mine and Tule's --- had me bristling. Both Tule and Cress appeared to be biting back responses of their own.
+It had to be intentional, and that fact, seeing her cowed for the first time in my memory—mine and Tule's—had me bristling. Both Tule and Cress appeared to be biting back responses of their own.
 
 For her part, Lily remained tense, standing rigid and still. Even as she began to cry, she did so without moving, without making a sound, tears simply welling up and coursing down her cheeks. ``Rush,'' she croaked.
 
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ My guess was correct, as there she was, already whirling on me at the notificati
 
 I slapped her across the cheek. Hard.
 
-I think I regretted it even in the moment. I regretted it as soon as I felt my hand move. As soon as I felt that reaction bubble past any boundaries within me and take control of my body, I knew that it would cause nothing but pain --- physical, yes, but also emotional and personal pain.
+I think I regretted it even in the moment. I regretted it as soon as I felt my hand move. As soon as I felt that reaction bubble past any boundaries within me and take control of my body, I knew that it would cause nothing but pain—physical, yes, but also emotional and personal pain.
 
 I certainly regretted it as soon as she yelped and stumbled back a half-step.
 
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ I followed after her as she stomped into the kitchen, watched as she grabbed a g
 
 ``Fuck the other books,'' she said, more to the faucet than to me. ``Fuck the Ode clade, and fuck you too. Fuck you and fuck Cress and fuck Tule. It's really fucking sad, watching you three get taken for a ride, the same manipulation that fucked us all.''
 
-Her anger still burned hot, I knew, but not as much as it had when first we'd arrived. I just needed to outlast it. Doing so by parking myself in my own anger probably wasn't the best way to do it --- I could feel yet more regret building below the surface of my anger --- but it felt too good, too cathartic to let go of. ``We're not getting taken for a ride, whatever that means. We're just grown up enough to realize that a bunch of actors did what actors do and pretended.'' I scoffed. ``They \emph{pretended,} Lily. That's just what they do.''
+Her anger still burned hot, I knew, but not as much as it had when first we'd arrived. I just needed to outlast it. Doing so by parking myself in my own anger probably wasn't the best way to do it—I could feel yet more regret building below the surface of my anger—but it felt too good, too cathartic to let go of. ``We're not getting taken for a ride, whatever that means. We're just grown up enough to realize that a bunch of actors did what actors do and pretended.'' I scoffed. ``They \emph{pretended,} Lily. That's just what they do.''
 
 ``So it's just a game, then?'' she shot back, though I could tell she was flagging. ``Just a game that led to a bunch of fucking psychos killing billions of people?''
 
@@ -206,9 +206,9 @@ I chuckled, feeling some of the pressure in my chest fade. ``Right, yeah. Manage
 
 We all laughed.
 
-We drifted away in small clumps after that. Pierre and Vos returned to Marsh's home --- their home, now --- along with Sedge, who said she was going to head back to work. Rush nudged Lily off to a bar, stating that it was high time at least some of us got roaring drunk.
+We drifted away in small clumps after that. Pierre and Vos returned to Marsh's home—their home, now—along with Sedge, who said she was going to head back to work. Rush nudged Lily off to a bar, stating that it was high time at least some of us got roaring drunk.
 
-The four of us who remained --- me, Cress, Tule, and Dry Grass --- stood in silence for a while. There seemed to be little point in saying anything as we processed this impromptu funeral. All that needed to be said had been said, or if not, then it had at least been put on hold in the face of our overwhelming emotions.
+The four of us who remained—me, Cress, Tule, and Dry Grass—stood in silence for a while. There seemed to be little point in saying anything as we processed this impromptu funeral. All that needed to be said had been said, or if not, then it had at least been put on hold in the face of our overwhelming emotions.
 
 I thought of the stages of grief, of Lily's anger, of the sadness so many of us lingered in, of the bargaining that I knew we all held within us. Perhaps there was some way to get Marsh back. Perhaps there was something we could yet do. Perhaps some combination of the core that remained and all of our memories could lead to some solution. Perhaps this new cross-tree merging held some promise after all.
 
@@ -218,6 +218,6 @@ I blinked, standing up straighter. ``Me?''
 
 She nodded. ``If you will have me,'' she repeated, voice small.
 
-I thought of so many complex emotions that had plagued me over the last few days --- the memories of love, the way they clashed with my memories of distance, the memories of Lily burning up with hatred --- and, finally, nodded. ``Yeah. Let's see In The Wind's core, and then get out of here. Anything to help out after all this will be good.''
+I thought of so many complex emotions that had plagued me over the last few days—the memories of love, the way they clashed with my memories of distance, the memories of Lily burning up with hatred—and, finally, nodded. ``Yeah. Let's see In The Wind's core, and then get out of here. Anything to help out after all this will be good.''
 
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