Marsh, minor edits

marsh/content/004.tex

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ At some point while I'd slept, Hanne had once more split the bed into two separa
 
 Coffee and chicory, nearly a third oatmilk by volume. Perfect.
 
-I was two sips in when the weight of what happened hit me once again. I didn't quite know how it was that they had escaped me in those minutes after waking, but a pile of `how could' questions started to hem me in again — how could I possibly forget, when this is the biggest thing that has happened to our clade ever? Never mind sys-side or phys-side; ever.
+I was two sips in when the weight of what happened hit me once again. I didn't quite know how it was that they had escaped me in those minutes after waking, but a pile of `how could' questions started to hem me in again --- how could I possibly forget, when this is the biggest thing that has happened to our clade ever? Never mind sys-side or phys-side; ever.
 
 I forced myself to sit up in bed and drink my coffee. I set myself the goal of sipping until it was finished. I stared out the window for a bit. I cried for a bit. I drank about half my coffee before the wait became unbearable.
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ There was mirth on the other end, some barely-sensed laughter that didn't quite
 
 \emph{``I'm feeling like shit.''} I laughed, shaking my head. \emph{``I mean, of course I am. I'm some awful mix of hopeful that there's some solution, mourning Marsh, kicking myself for mourning them maybe preemptively, kicking myself for not doing more, and just plain confused.''}
 
-The Odists were an old clade — far older than any of us, having been born decades before the advent of the System — so it was no wonder that Dry Grass was far more adept at sensorium messages than anyone else I'd met. It wasn't that I saw her lean back in her chair, nor that I felt the act of leaning back myself, but the overwhelming sensation that I got from that moment of silence was of her sighing, leaning back, crossing her arms over her front. I had no clue how she managed to pull that off. \emph{``There is little that I can say to fix any one of those, and anything else would ring hollow. All I can do is validate that, damn, Reed, that is a shitload of emotions. There is a lot going on, and I do not blame you for feeling confused.''}
+The Odists were an old clade --- far older than any of us, having been born decades before the advent of the System --- so it was no wonder that Dry Grass was far more adept at sensorium messages than anyone else I'd met. It wasn't that I saw her lean back in her chair, nor that I felt the act of leaning back myself, but the overwhelming sensation that I got from that moment of silence was of her sighing, leaning back, crossing her arms over her front. I had no clue how she managed to pull that off. \emph{``There is little that I can say to fix any one of those, and anything else would ring hollow. All I can do is validate that, damn, Reed, that is a shitload of emotions. There is a lot going on, and I do not blame you for feeling confused.''}
 
 \emph{``Thanks,''} I responded, feeling no small amount of relief that she hadn't tried to dig into any one of those feelings, nor even all of them as a whole. \emph{``How are Tule and Cress holding up? Hell, how're you holding up?''}
 
@@ -42,17 +42,17 @@ The Odists were an old clade — far older than any of us, having been born deca
 
 I finished my coffee in two coarse swallows, winced at the uncomfortable sensation that followed. I took another moment to stand up and start making the bed again. As I did, I asked, \emph{``What on? I saw a ton of forks.''}
 
-The sense of a nod, and then, \emph{``Several things. One of me is still keeping tallies on how many are missing based on reports, which appears to be some few million so far. Another of me is collating the varied types of posts on the feeds — wild supposition, unchecked grief, confusion, and so on. Another is speaking to\ldots a member of the eighth stanza through an intermediary--''}
+The sense of a nod, and then, \emph{``Several things. One of me is still keeping tallies on how many are missing based on reports, which appears to be some few million so far. Another of me is collating the varied types of posts on the feeds --- wild supposition, unchecked grief, confusion, and so on. Another is speaking to a member of the eighth stanza, even though--''}
 
 \emph{``This `Need An Answer' you mentioned?''}
 
-\emph{``Yes. The Only Time I Dream Is When I Need An Answer. She is the one who has focused on interpersonal connections, which is only relevant in that she is the only one remaining in the stanza willing to pass on information to the portions of the clade that cut them off, about twenty of us.''}
+\emph{``Yes. The Only Time I Dream Is When I Need An Answer. She is the one who has focused on interpersonal connections, which is only relevant in that she is the one in the stanza who will still pass information on to the portions of the clade that cut them off, about twenty of us.''}
 
 I snorted. \emph{``Minus you, I guess.''}
 
 \emph{``Well, yes. Nominally twenty of us,''} she sent, and I could sense that almost-laughter again. \emph{``Though it is far more complicated than that.''}
 
-\emph{``Any news from Castor or Pollux?''}
+\emph{``Sure seems complicated. Any news from Castor or Pollux?''}
 
 \emph{``Yes,''} she replied, then hesitated. \emph{``Though would you be willing to go for a walk to discuss what I have heard?''}
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ I hesitated, halfway through smoothing out the sheets. \emph{``Oh, uh\ldots alri
 
 She sent the address of a public sim, to which I sent a ping of acknowledgement and a suggestion of five minutes' time.
 
-Hanne sat at the dining room table, coffee in her hands, staring out at nothing, a sure sign that she was digging through something on the perisystem architecture. Probably poking her way through the feeds, looking for news. She had her own friends, after all, her own circle of co-hobbyists, those oneirotects who shared her interest in creating various objects and constructs. She had her own people to care about that weren't just me, weren't just the Marshans.
+Hanne sat at the dining room table, coffee in her hands, staring out at nothing, a sure sign that she was digging through something on the perisystem architecture. Probably poking her way through the feeds, looking for news. She had her own friends, after all, her own circle of co-hobbyists, those construct artists --- oneirotects --- who shared her interest in creating various objects and interactive constructs. She had her own people to care about that weren't just me, weren't just the Marshans.
 
 I chose to make myself another coffee instead, letting a cone of silence linger above me so that I didn't disturb her, even though her eyes did flick up toward me once or twice, joined by a weak smile.
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ She nodded.
 
 ``Any word on Warmth In Fire? I'm going to head out in a moment to see Dry Grass, and I'm wondering how bad the Odists got hit.''
 
-Hanne shrugged. ``Ey's there. I haven't talked to em yet, though.'' She snorted, adding with a smirk, ``Though even if a chunk of them got taken out, I doubt any whole\ldots lines, or whatever they call them, were completely destroyed. They fork like mad.''
+Hanne shrugged. ``Ey's there. I haven't talked to em yet, though.'' She snorted, adding with a smirk, ``Though even if a chunk of their instances got taken out, I doubt any whole\ldots lines, or whatever they call them, any cladists, were completely destroyed. They fork like mad.''
 
 I laughed. ``Yeah, when I pinged Dry Grass earlier, she had something like eighteen instances.''
 
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ Hanne furrowed her brow. ``A few \emph{million?} Jesus. Any word from phys-side?
 
 I nodded, covering my anxiety with a sip of coffee.
 
-``Well, hey,'' she said, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. ``Go on and go talk with Dry Grass. Could be she's learned more, could be they've said something and we just haven't gotten it yet. If she's as plugged in as she says she is, then doubtless she knows more than she's showing.''
+``Well, hey,'' she said, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. ``Go on and go talk with Dry Grass. Could be she's learned more, could be they've said something and we just haven't gotten it yet. If she's as plugged in as she says she is, then doubtless she knows more than she's telling.''
 
 ``Right.'' I laughed. ``Of all of us, she would.''
 
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ Grinning back, she gestured down the street in an invitation to walk, and we fel
 
 The sim was, indeed, beautiful, though it did bear some trademarks of early sim design, with the cobblestones perhaps a little too perfectly fit together, a little too flat, and the hexagonal lamp posts bearing corners that were perhaps a little too sharp. Still, for a morning walk with coffee (my third of the day; I'd have to turn off the caffeine sensitivity later), it was ideal. The sim was quiet and calm, with the sun blessing the street with long shadows and cool air that felt on the path to warming.
 
-``It's so quiet,'' I observed. The act of speaking out loud into the quiet air was enough to knock me back into the context of what had happened. ``Oh.''
+``It's so quiet,'' I observed. The act of speaking out loud into the still air was enough to knock me back into the context of what had happened. ``Oh.''
 
 Dry Grass readily picked up on the meaning behind that syllable, nodding to me. ``I do not imagine that it is so quiet because so many are missing, but I do think that many are staying home, hunting for lovers and friends, trawling the feeds. Heading out to public sims is, perhaps, not at the tops of their minds.''
 
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ So were we, I realized.
 
 I made an effort to straighten up and look out into the clear morning. ``Is the toll still climbing?'' I asked.
 
-``Not so rapidly, no. It is currently--'' She tilted her head for a moment before continuing. ``--just over two hundred million. I have also been able to get in contact with a phys-side engineer who has been\ldots well, she has been cagey, but she is at least confirming some of my estimates and guesses as I pass them on.''
+``It is currently--'' She tilted her head for a moment before continuing. ``--just over two hundred million. I have also been able to get in contact with a phys-side engineer who has been\ldots well, she has been cagey, but she is at least confirming some of my estimates and guesses as I pass them on.''
 
 ``Oh?''
 
@@ -148,17 +148,17 @@ She nodded. ``Günay is quite nice, if perhaps a bit breezier than one might exp
 
 I frowned. ``You mean someone's keeping her from doing so?''
 
-``It is a hunch. Perhaps our communications are being monitored, and she is being instructed to limit the topics or act in this way. While talking with Need An Answer, she suggested that this is also what the eighth stanza is used to doing, but they are the political ones.''
+``It is a hunch. Perhaps our communications are being monitored, and she is being instructed to limit the topics or to act in this way. Perhaps her implants limit her by NDA. While talking with Need An Answer, she suggested that this is also what the eighth stanza is used to doing, but they are the political ones.''
 
-I dredged up what history of the System I had learned, all of those sensationalist stories about the few old clades steering the direction of the lives of however many billion uploaded minds — certainly well over a trillion, if one counted the two launch vehicles, Castor and Pollux that had been sent out seventy five years prior.
+I dredged up what history of the System I had learned, all of those sensationalist stories about the few old clades steering the direction of the lives of however many billions of uploaded minds and their instances --- certainly well over two trillion, if one counted the two launch vehicles, Castor and Pollux that had been sent out seventy five years prior. More, if what Hanne said was right.
 
 ``And they'd be sneaky like this, too?'' I asked.
 
-A snort of laughter and she nodded. ``Sneaky is one way to put it, yes. They shape interactions by second nature, for which much of the clade has distanced themself from from. We — Hammered Silver's up-tree instances — are not supposed to be speaking to any of them, but there are a few that I like plenty, and given our current status, I have begun interacting more openly with Need An Answer.''
+A snort of laughter and she nodded. ``Sneaky is one way to put it, yes. They shape interactions by second nature, for which a portion of the clade has distanced themselves from them. We --- Hammered Silver's up-tree instances --- are not supposed to be speaking to any of them, but there are a few that I like plenty, and given our current status, I have begun interacting more openly with Need An Answer.''
 
 Wary of letting the topic drift too far, I said, ``Have they gotten anything else from phys-side, then?''
 
-She shrugged. ``There has been little enough interaction with sys-side over the years, and even less of late, now that the climate has started to level out back on Earth. The rate of uploads has even leveled off from its slow increase over time. We rarely hear much except what comes through the newly uploaded.'' She sipped her mocha, seeming to take that time to sort out her thoughts. ``Our political relationship with phys-side is cordial. It is one borne of necessity. Our social relationship is more complicated. Many have expectations of a long peace for themselves once they join us, and many more have loved ones who have joined us.''
+She shrugged. ``There has been little enough interaction with phys-side over the years, and even less of late, now that the climate has started to level out back on Earth. The rate of uploads has even leveled off from its slow increase over time. We rarely hear much except what comes through the newly uploaded.'' She sipped her mocha, seeming to take that time to sort out her thoughts. ``Our political relationship with phys-side is cordial. It is one borne of necessity. Our social relationship is more complicated. Many have expectations of a long peace for themselves once they join us, and many more have loved ones who have joined us.''
 
 ``Right, I still talk to a bunch of friends I knew phys-side who uploaded later. Or Marsh does.'' I winced, amending that statement. ``Did.''
 
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ She nodded.
 
 ``Oh, absolutely,'' Dry Grass replied, turning and leaning over to give Cress a kiss on its cheek. ``How are you feeling, loves?''
 
-``Terrible,'' Tule said cheerfully. They had apparently collected Rush and Sedge before arriving, as all four of stood in almost identical postures, each holding their coffees in their right hand — just, I realized, as I was doing. ``All my emotions are wrong. I'm jittery and tired and I want to get another few hours of sleep but feel guilty every time I lay down.''
+``Terrible,'' Tule said cheerfully. They had apparently collected Rush and Sedge before arriving, as all four stood in almost identical postures, each holding their coffees in their right hand --- just, I realized, as I was doing. ``All my emotions are wrong. I'm jittery and tired and I want to get another few hours of sleep but feel guilty every time I lay down.''
 
 I laughed. ``Yeah, that sounds about right. I keep feeling like I'm having the wrong sort of reaction to all of this.''
 
@@ -212,11 +212,11 @@ I laughed. ``Yeah, that sounds about right. I keep feeling like I'm having the w
 
 A moment of silence followed.
 
-``We as people have fallen out of the habit of dealing with crises,'' she continued when we all averted our gazes. ``Do not be hard on yourselves. We — the Ode clade — have more experience with crises than the vast, vast majority of the System, and even we are reeling. We are struggling to internalize something this big.''
+``We as people have fallen out of the habit of dealing with crises,'' she continued when we all averted our gazes. ``Do not be hard on yourselves. We --- the Ode clade --- have more experience with crises than the vast, vast majority of the System, and even we are reeling. We are struggling to internalize something this big.''
 
 ``Have you lost any?'' Cress asked, and I thanked it silently for getting to the question before I worked up the courage to do so myself.
 
-Hesitating, Dry Grass's confident mien fell. Eventually, she reached out to take each of her partners' hands in one of her own, then offered the other to me. ``Come. Let us walk, yes? We will talk as we hop sims. I have more places full of comforting memories to show you.''
+Hesitating, Dry Grass's confident mien fell. Eventually, she reached out to take both of her partners' hands in one of her own, then nodded to me. ``Come. Let us walk, yes? We will talk as we hop sims. I have more places full of comforting memories to show you.''
 
 While I mulled over her focus on comfort and memory, we linked by touch, Tule and Cress with their partner, and Cress, Rush, and Sedge with me.
 
@@ -228,13 +228,13 @@ All of the designs seemed to feature the New Year, now that I was able to pick t
 
 I turned away with a hollow feeling in my chest, wondering just how many of those couples were still couples.
 
-The town, while no less visually chaotic than the beach, was at least more heartening to look at. Everything — \emph{everything}; the walls of buildings, the roofs, doors and window shutters, even the roads — was covered with a blindingly colorful mosaic of tiles.
+The town, while no less visually chaotic than the beach, was at least more heartening to look at. Everything --- \emph{everything}; the walls of buildings, the roofs, doors and window shutters, even the roads --- was covered with a blindingly colorful mosaic of tiles.
 
-``\emph{To Limáni Ton Khromáton} is nearly two centuries old,'' Dry Grass explained as we started trudging up one of those streets. When you enter, you are given a single tile — if you check your pockets, it should be in there.''
+``\emph{To Limáni Ton Khromáton} is nearly two centuries old,'' Dry Grass explained as we started trudging up one of those streets. When you enter, you are given a single tile --- if you check your pockets, it should be in there.''
 
 Sure enough, when I dug my hand into my pocket, I found a cerulean tile, a little square of porcelain about three centimeters on a side. The rest of the Marshans dug in their pockets and pulled out tiles of their own, all one shade or another of blue.
 
-``Unless you hold a color in your mind when you enter, you are provided with your favorite,'' Dry Grass explained. She pulled a golden yellow tile out of her own pocket and flipped it up in the air like a coin. ``All of this — all of the mosaic — has been placed by visitors.
+``Unless you hold a color in your mind when you enter, you are provided with your favorite,'' Dry Grass explained. She pulled a golden yellow tile out of her own pocket and flipped it up in the air like a coin. ``All of this --- all of the mosaic --- has been placed by visitors.
 
 ``Set No Stones told me about this place.'' She smiled wryly. ``Because of course she did. We are consummate pros at living up to our names. You may place your tile wherever you would like, and so long as it is touching the edge of another, it will stick. You will not be able to remove it after, so make sure to place it carefully.''
 
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ We walked past buildings that depicted animals, some that depicted people, some
 
 If the small town sim had been relatively quiet, this one felt all but abandoned. Perhaps all such sims with a singular purpose would be like this today: if your friends are missing, if other versions of you were missing, then an attraction would doubtless lose some of its draw. We passed only a few tilers tramping up the hill with determination, ready to place their colors for the day.
 
-Finally, Dry Grass led us down an alleyway, dim and cool, and gestured to a wall. The scene was of two figures sitting at a bar. Given the scale, it was impossible to make out any detail on the figures, though they seemed to be furries of some sort — one tan and one black and white. Each had a drink, and before them, a wall of bottles stood, still in the process of being built. Dry Grass stood up on her tiptoes and touched her tile to the edge of a bottle, adding a bright glow to a fledgling bottle of whiskey.
+Finally, Dry Grass led us down an alleyway, dim and cool, and gestured to a wall. The scene was of two figures sitting at a bar. Given the scale, it was impossible to make out any detail on the figures, though they seemed to be furries of some sort --- one tan and one black and white. Each had a drink, and before them, a wall of bottles stood, still in the process of being built. Dry Grass stood up on her tiptoes and touched her tile to the edge of a bottle, adding a bright glow to a fledgling bottle of whiskey.
 
 ``Here,'' she said, gesturing us to grab a crate that had been stacked nearby. ``All of these are just props to help people reach higher. You can probably add your blues to the edge of the lamp. They are not quite the right color for green lamps, but I do not care.''
 
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ She laughed. ``Yes, yes. The whole of the clade is like this, I can promise you
 
 ``Are you ready to talk about what you've learned?'' I asked. ``If you need a bit more time, that's fine, of course.''
 
-``I am ready. Thank you for giving me a bit of space.'' Once Cress had finished setting its tile and hopped back down to the ground, we all walked back out into the street, back out where the sun shone down on us. ``We have passed one billion reported missing instances.'' She held her hand up to forestall the comments that were already coming. ``That is all instances, to be clear, not differentiated individuals, not cladists, and certainly not clades. Many of those who have reported missing were ephemeral: they are one-offs created here and there. We do not yet know about cladists or clades. The number is high, but I did want to provide that qualification.''
+``I am ready. Thank you for giving me a bit of space.'' Once Cress had finished setting its tile and hopped back down to the ground, we all walked back out into the street, back out where the sun shone down on us. ``We have passed one billion reported missing instances.'' She held her hand up to forestall the comments that were already coming. ``That is all instances, to be clear, not differentiated individuals, not cladists, and certainly not clades. Many of those who were reported missing were ephemeral: they were one-offs created here and there. We do not yet know about cladists or clades. The number is high, but I did want to provide that qualification; there are three totals to consider, and we are learning only one of them.''
 
 ``Hanne said that one of her friends, Shu, was missing entirely,'' I said, once the words had sunk in. ``Similar to Marsh, I mean. It wasn't just that she wasn't responding, it's like she was just never there, like the System didn't know about her.''
 
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ She laughed. ``Yes, yes. The whole of the clade is like this, I can promise you
 
 I shrugged. ``It might be worth asking, at least.''
 
-She nodded and gestured us back down to the beach. ``I will.'' She took a deep breath before continuing. ``Now, the current population in terms of instances is something like 2.3 trillion. A billion is a very small fraction of the System in terms of numbers, but it is what we are working with. A billion instances appear to have been\ldots ah, lost, along with thirteen months, ten days, seventeen minutes, and some seconds. On speaking with Günay, this downtime was observed phys-side, though she was not able to tell me much about it besides that. I have the sense that there is more that she \emph{could} have said, but that she was not able to for whatever reason.''
+She nodded and gestured us back down to the beach. ``I will.'' She took a deep breath before continuing. ``Now, the current population in terms of \emph{instances} is something like 2.3 trillion. A billion is a very small fraction of the System in terms of numbers, but it is what we are working with. A billion instances appear to have been\ldots ah, lost, along with thirteen months, ten days, seventeen minutes, and some seconds. On speaking with Günay, this downtime was observed phys-side, though she was not able to tell me much about it besides that. I have the sense that there is more that she \emph{could} have said, but that she was not able to for whatever reason.''
 
 This had apparently been the first that Rush and Sedge had heard about this, so a few minutes were spent bringing them up to speed as we walked down the hill to the shore once more. I took the opportunity to focus at something far off, something further ahead of me than my own two feet. The horizon, the dark ocean breaking against the shore in a rush of white out where the arms of the bay projected into the water.
 
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ I startled back to awareness, smiling sheepishly at Sedge, accepting the hand th
 
 ``It is okay,'' Dry Grass said, smiling gently to me. ``The next sim that we are headed to does not have a very large entry point, so please huddle in closer. It will also be quite warm, so, fair warning.''
 
-The entry point — a platform of wood slats set upon stilts above stagnant water — was far smaller than I had anticipated, and my foot rocked against an uneven plank set along the rim of the platform, forcing me to lean against Sedge. One edge of the platform led into a narrow, somewhat rickety wooden walkway that headed out over the water in a straight line until it came upon a tall patch of grass, where it turned a few degrees to the right to make its way to another. It appeared to meander in this way from island of vegetation to island of vegetation in an uneven zigzag toward a copse of trees — the word `banyan' floated to mind, though I wasn't sure if that was actually the case — where it disappeared into shadow.
+The entry point --- a platform of wood slats set upon stilts above stagnant water --- was far smaller than I had anticipated, and my foot rocked against an uneven plank set along the rim of the platform, forcing me to lean against Sedge. One edge of the platform led into a narrow, somewhat rickety wooden walkway that headed out over the water in a straight line until it came upon a tall patch of grass, where it turned a few degrees to the right to make its way to another. It appeared to meander in this way from island of vegetation to island of vegetation in an uneven zigzag toward a copse of trees --- the word `banyan' floated to mind, though I wasn't sure if that was actually the case --- where it disappeared into shadow.
 
 That shade looked delightfully appealing as the humid heat pressed in around us.
 
@@ -296,13 +296,13 @@ That shade looked delightfully appealing as the humid heat pressed in around us.
 
 If it had been intended to be a joke, it fell flat. We remained in silence for a few awkward moments.
 
-She sighed. ``My apologies. It is still important to me, however. It is-- Ah, there she is.'' She raised an arm and waved to a figure crouched at the edge of the walkway just before the next platform. With the heat-haze and mugginess, their form was somewhat indistinct. They wore a frowzy white dress, along with some sort of hat — or perhaps a rather tall hairstyle. As we walked toward them in single file, she explained, ``This sim was designed by Serene; Sustained And Sustaining, whom you shall meet in a moment. She is my cocladist from the ninth stanza, and one of my favorite people in the world. I asked her to meet us here.''
+She sighed. ``My apologies. It is still important to me, however. It is-- Ah, there she is.'' She raised an arm and waved to a figure crouched at the edge of the walkway just before the next platform. With the heat-haze and mugginess, their form was somewhat indistinct. They wore a frowzy white dress, along with some sort of hat --- or perhaps a rather tall hairstyle. As we walked toward them in single file, she explained, ``This sim was designed by Serene; Sustained And Sustaining, whom you shall meet in a moment. She is my cocladist from the ninth stanza, and one of my favorite people in the world. I asked her to meet us here.''
 
-As we got closer, the strange hairstyle that I had noticed on the figure resolved into a pair of tall canine ears, and what I had assumed was a mask of some sort turned out to be a short, pointed muzzle. Serene stood up and stretched, smiling wanly to us before bowing in greeting.
+As we got closer, the strange hairstyle that I had noticed on the figure resolved into a pair of tall canid ears, and what I had assumed was a mask of some sort turned out to be a short, pointed muzzle. Serene stood up and stretched, smiling wanly to us before bowing in greeting.
 
 ``Serene, this is Tule and Cress, my partners, as well as a few more of their clade: Reed, Rush, and Sedge.''
 
-The fox — a hunch confirmed by a quick check of the perisystem — nodded. ``Of the Marsh clade? How droll,'' she said, that smile veering perilously close to a smirk. ``Welcome to my own little marsh.''
+The fox --- a hunch confirmed by a quick check of the perisystem --- nodded. ``Of the Marsh clade? How droll,'' she said, that smile veering perilously close to a smirk. ``Welcome to my own little marsh.''
 
 ``What \emph{is} this place?'' Rush asked, a note of wonder in vis voice. ``Other than a swamp, I mean.''
 
@@ -310,13 +310,13 @@ The fox — a hunch confirmed by a quick check of the perisystem — nodded. ``O
 
 At this, we all \emph{did} laugh.
 
-``I have asked to meet with her and several others to ensure that we could get a view of what is going on from someone else, because this is getting a bit out of hand for even me.''
+``I have asked to meet with her and several others to ensure that we could get a view of what is going on from someone else,'' Dry Grass said, ``because this is getting a bit out of hand for even me.''
 
 Serene nodded and started strolling down the path toward the next patch of grass, claws clicking dully against the wood. We fell in step behind her as she asked, ``And what was it that you wanted to hear from me, my dear?''
 
 ``I would like to hear what you are seeing.''
 
-The fox — a fennec, the System told me — nodded slowly. ``I am seeing quiet chaos. I am seeing most of my sims emptying out. Few are out for walks or adventures. I sent forks to each of them when I noticed my own missing instances to ensure that they all still existed, as well. Thankfully, sims seem to be unaffected.
+The fox --- a fennec, the System told me --- nodded slowly. ``I am seeing quiet chaos. I am seeing most of my sims emptying out. Few are out for walks or adventures. I sent forks to each of them when I noticed my own missing instances to ensure that they all still existed, as well. Thankfully, sims seem to be unaffected.
 
 ``The ones that are not empty, however, remain dreadfully quiet. Most of those who are out and about have set up over themselves cones of silence.'' She hesitated, took a deep breath, and then continued. ``Those who have not, though, are decidedly not quiet. More than one silence has been broken by weeping and wailing.''
 
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ She simply nodded.
 
 ``And you said there hasn't been any word from phys-side except through Günay?'' I asked.
 
-She shook her head. ``Not really, but that is not to say that a sense of that sentiment is not evident. She sounded excited.''
+She shook her head. ``Not really. Not that I know about, at least, but that is not to say that a sense of that sentiment is not evident. Günay sounded excited.''
 
 Sedge snorted. ``Excited?''
 
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ Sedge snorted. ``Excited?''
 
 Dry Grass nodded. ``Yes, that was my guess. She is disappointed, of course, that so many of us are missing, but she is excited that so many of us still remain. As I have said, her words have been careful and measured, but I can still tell that she was excited to be able to talk to us.''
 
-``So sims are empty,'' I said, ticking off items on my fingers. ``The feeds are nuts. Phys-side is excited to see us. Has there been any indication on any of those fronts as to what actually happened?''
+``So, sims are empty,'' I said, ticking off items on my fingers. ``The feeds are nuts. Phys-side is excited to see us. Has there been any indication on any of those fronts as to what actually happened?''
 
 ``Not as yet, no. We are missing key bits of information.''
 
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ Dry Grass nodded and once more took Tule's hand in her own. Once we had all link
 
 While this new sim felt far brighter than the sunnier portions of the last, the air was also far cooler and far drier. It still had a feeling of morning to it, as though the day itself had yet to wake up completely. A check of the time showed that it was not yet 7, a fact obscured by the noonday sun of the previous sim.
 
-The sun shone low in a cloudless blue sky, lighting a rolling field of grass with the dawn. `Lawn' may have been a more apt word, as the grass itself seemed to have been cut at some point: it was cool and prickly, all of uniform height and color. All, that is, except for the fact that it was dotted liberally with golden yellow flowers, each perfectly round as it stood shyly above a spray of wide-toothed leaves.
+The sun here shone low in a cloudless blue sky, lighting a rolling field of grass with the dawn. `Lawn' may have been a more apt word, as the grass itself seemed to have been cut at some point: it was cool and prickly, all of uniform height and color. All, that is, except for the fact that it was dotted liberally with golden yellow flowers, each perfectly round as it stood shyly above a spray of wide-toothed leaves.
 
 The air was thick with a sweet scent, and the sound of bees making their way from flower to flower hung just below the level of perception unless we all stayed completely silent.
 
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ Hold My Name also appeared hand-in-paw with a skunk, Which Offers Heat And Warmt
 
 I nodded and started to reply before cutting myself off as a few more Odists showed up in quick succession. Another skunk, looking far more prim and proper than the others, arrived and shot Dry Grass a quick glance. I couldn't quite read her expression, but she certainly didn't look happy. If she was Then I Must In All Ways Be Earnest, it perhaps made sense, as the next Odist to arrive was a human introduced as The Only Time I Dream Is When I Need An Answer.
 
-From what I gathered both from my knowledge of the history of the System that I'd picked up over my hears on Lagrange as well as the memories of Tule's relationship with Dry Grass, there had been a schism within the Ode clade some fifty years back surrounding the political elements of the clade — of which Need An Answer was one — and those who disagreed. This included both Dry Grass and In All Ways. Beyond those such as Lily who held resentment, even some Odists mistrusted — or even hated — some of the Odists.
+From what I gathered both from my knowledge of the history of the System that I'd picked up over my years on Lagrange as well as the memories of Tule's relationship with Dry Grass, there had been a schism within the Ode clade some fifty years back surrounding the political elements of the clade --- of which Need An Answer was one --- and those who disagreed. This included both Dry Grass and In All Ways. Beyond those such as Lily who held resentment, even some Odists mistrusted --- or even hated --- some of their own.
 
 I just hoped they'd be able to set that aside for now.
 
@@ -418,19 +418,19 @@ Scattered mumbling.
 
 ``Dry Grass, you have been taking point. Would you like to begin?''
 
-``Yes,'' she said, stepping out in front of the loose crowd that had gathered. All turned to face her. ``At midnight on January first, 2400 — that is, systime 276+1, but some are speculating that the phys-side date is related for reasons that I will get to — a disruption in the software underlying the System occurred. This led to a discontinuity of approximately one year, one month, and ten days.''
+``Yes,'' she said, stepping out in front of the loose crowd that had gathered. All turned to face her. ``At midnight on January first, 2400 --- that is, systime 276+1, but some are speculating that the phys-side date is related for reasons that I will get to --- a disruption in the software underlying the System occurred. This led to a discontinuity of approximately one year, one month, and ten days.''
 
-More muttering — darkly, this time.
+More muttering --- darkly, this time.
 
-``There have been more than two hundred thousand instances of downtime throughout the history of Lagrange. Most amount to a few seconds or minutes, with the longest being approximately two weeks, which took place during the Lagrange station's insertion into the L5 orbit in which it currently resides. We usually do not notice any downtime unless we are specifically paying attention to systime. However, in this instance, when the System returned to functionality, several instances were missing--''
+``There have been more than two hundred thousand instances of downtime throughout the history of Lagrange. Most amount to a few seconds or minutes, with the longest being approximately three weeks, which took place during the Lagrange station's insertion into the L5 orbit in which it currently resides. We usually do not notice any downtime unless we are specifically paying attention to systime. However, in this instance, when the System returned to functionality, several instances were missing--''
 
 ``Several!'' one of the Odists said, snorting.
 
 ``--several instances were missing. At current count, the missing instances number about one and a half billion, though that number continues to climb.
 
-``I have re-acquired my systech credentials through an expedited process, which has led to me talking to a phys-side tech on the Lagrange station named Günay Sadık. While she appears to be somewhat restrained in what she is willing — or able — to tell me, she was at least able to confirm or deny guesses as I made them. She has confirmed that the missing instances are due to corrupted data, that Lagrange experienced full downtime, and that phys-side engineers were finally able to get it running at full capacity just last night.''
+``I have re-acquired my systech credentials through an expedited process, which has led to me talking to a phys-side tech on the Lagrange station named Günay Sadık. While she appears to be somewhat restrained in what she is willing --- or able --- to tell me, she was at least able to confirm or deny guesses as I made them. She has confirmed that the missing instances are due to corrupted data, that Lagrange experienced full downtime, and that phys-side engineers were finally able to get it running at full capacity just last night.''
 
-Dry Grass paused, taking a deep breath. ``Here are the things she was not able to confirm, but which I do not believe were outright denials. She was not able to confirm the reason for the downtime and did not respond to any of my guesses. However, as this discussion took place over AVEC, I was able to see her as she spoke. I asked if there was any physical damage to the System hardware: no change. I asked if there was any permanent damage to the System internals: no change. I asked if there was any trouble phys-side that led to the downtime: she looked down to her hands on the desk. Finally, I asked if this downtime might have been intentional, whether there might have been malice behind it: she looked off-screen, her expression appearing tense, perhaps frightened.''
+Dry Grass paused, taking a deep breath. ``Here are the things she was not able to confirm, but which I do not believe were outright denials. She was not able to confirm the reason for the downtime and did not respond to any of my guesses. However, as this discussion took place over AVEC, I was able to see her as she spoke. I asked if there was any physical damage to the System hardware: no change. I asked if there was any permanent damage to the System internals: no change. I asked if there was any trouble phys-side that led to the downtime: she looked down to her hands on the desk. Finally, I asked if this downtime might have been intentional, whether there might have been malice behind it: she looked off-screen, her expression appearing tense, perhaps frightened. I suspect an NDA block on her implants. I have heard these are uncomfortable at best.''
 
 At this, the muttering grew darker still.
 
@@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ There followed nearly half an hour of silence. Most of the Odists looked distant
 
 By the end, many of them were in tears.
 
-``Alright,'' Need An Answer said. ``The amount provided to me is 748. Combined with those who are not here and who have responded, there are 1,338 Odists. Please now provide tallies of how many of these instances are missing.''
+``Alright,'' Need An Answer said. ``The amount provided to me is 748. Combined with those who are not here who have responded, there are 1,338 Odists. Please now provide tallies of how many of these instances are missing.''
 
 ``Why?'' In All Ways asked. Her expression had shifted from upset to unnerved.
 
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ The skunk didn't reply other than to continue whispering `no' quietly.
 
 A Finger Pointing spoke up, casting a careful sidelong glance at her partner, Beholden. ``We have spoken of the Ode, yes, of the two lines, but we should not omit those long-lived instances that were lost. I have lost one of my own up-trees. I have lost A Finger Curled.''
 
-At this, Beholden burst into tears, eventually rolling to the side to slip out of the sim. A Finger Pointing quickly forked to follow while the other instance remained.
+At this, Beholden let out a cry and burst suddenly into tears, eventually rolling to the side to slip out of the sim. A Finger Pointing quickly forked to follow while the other instance remained.
 
 ``You are right. I apologize, my dear,'' Need An Answer said, bowing. ``Of the 28 missing, five are long-lived instances that are not named lines, including A Finger Curled. My condolences to you, to Beholden, and to her up-tree instance.''
 
@@ -508,11 +508,11 @@ Dry Grass lowered her head as several of the other Odists joined. After a moment
 
 ``Will you come with?'' Cress asked, alarmed.
 
-``Not yet, my love. I will rejoin before long. One of the lost long-lived instances was one of my own, and this will give me a chance to step back and grieve, myself.''
+``Not yet, my love. I will rejoin before long. One of the lost long-lived instances was one of my own, and this will give me a chance to step back and grieve, myself--'' Her voice trailed off into a hoarseness that spoke of tears to come.
 
 Cress's expression fell, and it wrapped its arms around her. ``I'm sorry, I didn't know\ldots{}''
 
-``I did not say,'' Dry Grass said, shrugging. Whatever confidence she had been leaning on before was gone. She looked to be struggling to hold herself together. ``We will talk later, my love. More of me remain at home, too.''
+``I did not say,'' Dry Grass said, shrugging. Whatever confidence she had been leaning on before was gone. She looked to be struggling to hold herself together. ``We will talk later. More of me remain at home, too.''
 
 We all took turns, ensuring that she got a hug from each of us, then stepped away, this time to the pagoda that I had discovered earlier that day before sleeping.
 
@@ -528,11 +528,11 @@ There was a long silence, followed by a sigh of her own. \emph{``Just us?''}
 
 Another long pause, and then a sense of a nod.
 
-A few moments after I sent her the address of the sim, she popped into being beside me. Her expression was flat and motions stiff as she walked with me to join the rest of the clade in the pagoda. Even as the rest of the Marshans greeted her, she simply nodded, saying nothing.
+A few moments after I sent her the address of the sim, she popped into being beside me, looking freshly showered. Her expression was flat and motions stiff as she walked with me to join the rest of the clade in the pagoda. Even as the rest of the Marshans greeted her, she simply nodded, saying nothing.
 
-If I'd been expecting us all to jump into conversation, I was disappointed. However, there was still relief when we fell back into silence, each thinking our thoughts, looking out over the pasture at the fog and the shadows of sheep. The only sounds were those of the sim — a hint of rain further out on the grass, another tinkle or two of a bell — and my own breathing.
+If I'd been expecting us all to jump into conversation, I was disappointed. However, there was still relief when we fell back into silence, each thinking our thoughts, looking out over the pasture at the fog and the shadows of sheep. The only sounds were those of the sim --- a hint of rain further out on the grass, another tinkle or two of a bell --- and my own breathing.
 
-Once more, questions bubbled up within me. What could I possibly do in the face of such enormity? How could 48 billion people just disappear? What was Phys-side doing about all of this other than hiding the details they doubtless had? More 'how could I's dogging my heels — how could I be sitting here in silence? How could I have stepped away from Dry Grass, the one person I knew who was working hardest on this? How could I not have looped Lily into this whole conversation?
+Once more, questions bubbled up within me. What could I possibly do in the face of such enormity? How could 48 billion people just disappear? What was phys-side doing about all of this other than hiding the details they doubtless had? More 'how could I's dogging my heels --- how could I be sitting here in silence? How could I have stepped away from Dry Grass, the one person I knew who was working hardest on this? How could I not have looped Lily into this whole conversation?
 
 ``So,'' Lily said. ``What's up?''
 
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ She shrugged. ``Not none, I'm sure.''
 
 ``Ye-e-es,'' I allowed. ``So maybe it was a virus or something. CPV that affects everyone doesn't exist, does it?''
 
-Silence and headshakes around the pagoda. The contraproprioceptive virus — the one sure way to kill anyone on the System — only seemed to work when tailored specifically to an individual's sensorium, disrupting their sense of proprioception until they either dissipated and crashed or quit out of agony. Not only that, but, from what I'd learned from the stories that came out surrounding it a few decades back, it had to somehow pierce the skin, to breach that sense of physical integrity, before it could do it's awful job of unwinding a person entirely.
+Silence and headshakes around the pagoda. The contraproprioceptive virus --- the one sure way to kill anyone on the System --- only seemed to work when tailored specifically to an individual's sensorium, disrupting their sense of proprioception until they either dissipated and crashed or quit out of agony. Not only that, but, from what I'd learned from the stories that came out surrounding it a few decades back, it had to somehow pierce the skin, to breach that sense of physical integrity, before it could do it's awful job of unwinding a person entirely.
 
 ``Well, if this\ldots attack or whatever was deliberate and we don't know anything about \emph{how} it was done, do we know anything about who might have done it?''
 
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ Sedge leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. ``There's always been a b
 
 ``I'm not sure they think of us as people.''
 
-Lily snorted. ``Not as people,'' she sneered. ``Sorry, Sedge, I know it's not on you. You're probably right. I'm just feeling like shit now.''
+Lily snorted. ``\,`Not as people','' she sneered. ``Sorry, Sedge, I know it's not on you. You're probably right. I'm just feeling like shit now.''
 
 Rush smiled faintly. ``I think we all are.''