QM's Note: So trying to do the hardest part first bit me again. Good news is I'll probably be able to recycle the shopping analysis results eventually.
I'm formatting from a phone and will be for the next month, so there may be some weirdness.
[X] Quickly check with Mom to make sure you've cleared out all instances of the shadowblood ecosystem.
-[x] People with similar symptoms or records of same, microorganisms or spores from the diseases, research notes, maybe she could quickly question a doctor?
You forcefully push your mind toward one of the most disgusting topics you can think of on short notice:
disease. This doesn't actually help any since Nanoha is the sort of person to willingly sit beside the hospital beds of dying strangers and
shut up brain!
Your cheeks puff up as you manufacture an excuse to slap them. Following through doesn't actually help any, reminding you only of how Nanoha kept hugging you when you thought she would hit you instead. You just aren't used to this sort of emotional persistence; why won't it fit in a box so you can pretend it doesn't exist? This is
not helpful!
"Mom, could you look into hospital records and stuff to make sure I got all the Shadowblood Plague parts? It might be called an artificial ecosystem or something. Basically a ton of diseases fighting for supremacy?"
"You did, Daughter. It is worth noting that the patient is known as a 'Fanalis,' a human variant I would be interested in studying further. This may not be overly difficult; he was neither a willing immigrant nor a volunteer. I will act to rescue him."
"'Kay. Anyway, will I mess anything up if we start showing off subspace by shopping?"
Three people and one is asexual, so it's automatically not a date.
"Nothing especially important; feel free to do so, Daughter. The excursion will require me to leave a communication device of some kind as it will likely exceed the maximum range of my avatar. This is acceptable."
[X] So what did Nanoha think of Neph?
You focus really,
really hard on not attaching any emotions to your following messages to Nanoha. That would be somewhere beyond inconvenient and into the realm of
mortifying. Normally, you don't think it'd be so bad, but your long-honed ability to deny reality seems to have a hangover.
Unreliable layabout.
"So, um. What did you think of Neph? I mean, I know you didn't really get to talk with her, but... um. I don't know?"
You dimly wonder if Mother has controlling stock in any anime studios. It might be worth having them do some silly
shoujo anime based on your life just to keep them away from
girls' love.
Nanoha pats your shoulder comfortingly. You fixedly stare at her forehead, trying very, very hard to maintain your imitation of perfectly normal behavior.
"Neph had barely any time and devoted all of it toward helping us. Well, and them."
Nanoha waves off to one side. After a slight delay, you realize continuing to stare at her would be suspicious in of itself and follow her gesture to the rows of patients beyond.
After a suitably long inspection, you turn back just in time to spot a literal sparkle of mischief. It vanishes at one edge of her eye and reappears at the other, possibly hidden behind some sort of contact lenses. That, you decide, is
cheating.
"So it looks like future-you is still going to be just as nice as present-you, right?" Nanoha asks with false innocence.
With your mind and emotions already looping, Nanoha's compliment doesn't introduce any unexpected problems. If anything, it's
helpful. Going on the attack would lead to sorts of trouble, but what about driving off the road? So long as you don't hit any stray trees, it should work just fine. Probably. It'll probably damage your poor car, but you like to think you're good at avoiding the consequences of your actions. Not nearly as good as you are at ignoring your feelings, certainly, but still pretty good provided you figure out where you were going with this.
...You no longer feel even the slightest bit of bitterness toward Nanoha for developing her inconvenient crush. If anything, you respect the self-control involved in not definitively acting on it for so long. It's
hard and only getting worse the more you try to murder any offending emotions.
Everything according to plan.
You marshal your thoughts into some semblance of order by assembling your response one word at a time. Stray trains are forced onto the tracks by referring to the memories of moments previous. Cargo and Irish lives are both spent liberally, or would be if you could just figure out what they're supposed to represent. Brain cells?
Only once you're almost completely finished do you realize you've been silently staring at Nanoha — and probably blushing — for a good quarter of a minute. The younger girl seems to only be growing happier the longer it takes you to reply, something you
probably don't want to be encouraging. Your carefully sculpted response is promptly discarded in favor of haste.
[X] Propose meeting up with Sidhe and going out shopping. Since this is the one plane that actually accepts the weird gold, you'll have enough of it to purchase whatever you want.
-[X] Do a cursory scan of everything you can find, but don't get too bogged down looking at any one thing. You don't want to inadvertently exclude Nanoha.
"Thank you," you manage.
"So, um, want to go shopping with Sidhe? Um, Sidhe and I, that is. It might be a good showcase for what the different colors can do. You know, for picking which one you want?"
You know, if the whole Red demigod thing doesn't work out.
You vaguely wonder if you're allowed to blame Neph for your current emotional state. Your precognitive dreams do tend to temporarily affect your emotions, so maybe channeling Neph does as well? You should be better than this by now; you're
sixteen, which is practically an adult! You had
excellent control over your emotions before Neph came along and gummed things up. Well, okay, passable control. Adequate? You certainly weren't acting like a blushing...
Your expanding indignation is punctured by the realization that you are,
technically, still a schoolgirl, and you suspect you are currently blushing.
Also, I lied about the dates going poorly. It goes either way and honestly, your relationship is pretty much identical pre and post. Bit of awkwardness with her parents, though.
Stop complicating things!
"Sidhe, do you want to go shopping with Jade and I?" Nanoha asks.
Sidhe's response is both quick and obviously distracted.
"Nope, I'm fine, thanks."
There's a short moment of silence for your plans.
"Have fun!"
Nanoha doesn't seem even the slightest bit bothered by this, you notice. The younger girl shrugs, but is unable to conceal the malicious gleams in her eyes.
"Oh, well. Are we starting anywhere in particular or just wandering?"
You discard planeswalking away as a Bad Plan and try to find a better one.
[] Try to channel White. If White-you is as boring as her color, she won't have the slightest interest in your emotions. Just what you need right now.
[] Try to channel Black. Black-you won't possibly be interested in a relationship, right?
[] Flee to a clear area, overchannel Red, hand control to Neph, and let her handle this mess.
[] Privately beg Sidhe to please help provide a buffer between yourself and Nanoha before something awkward and complicating occurs.
[] Ask Mom to please bring her avatar back so it isn't just a two-girl outing.
[] Engage Mitra at every opportunity to remind Nanoha (and yourself) that it is in no way, shape, or form a date.
[] Bow to the inevitable and try to act natural.
[] Write-in
