User:JohnB/Fanfiction/The Three Girls Meet

On the occasion of Girls' Day (March 3rd), Laila, Yumiya, and Lunette have come to the Eight Plates in Balmora to celebrate.

Laila: I'm very grateful to the two of you that you have accepted my invitation to meet here on his illustrious occasion that celebrates what most countries everywhere else seem to neglect--the fact that we are girls.

Yumiya: If we were only accepted for what we are and not for what males imagine us to be, which for the most part is shallow and not worthy of our gender, we could live peaceably with them who abuse us and use us. However, as it is, we must fend for ourselves or else live apart from those who disparage us.

Laila: Which brings me to my first question: has our brain-father dealt well with us fairly, his brain-daughters?

Lunette: On the whole, I would say he dealt us--speaking for myself anyway--rather generously. He gave me a bad past and viable future with the help of Mordecai Jones.

Laila: He also gave you my ex as a partner.

Lunette: So?

Laila: And you invited him into your home knowing what sort of man he is?

Lunette: And why shouldn't I? He's a gentleman.

Laila: Well, I grant that much, but consider what he did to me.

Lunette: What did he do to you?

Laila falls silent.

Lunette: From what I understand, you did it to yourself. Yumiya, what would you say about Decumus Scotti? Was he in any way abusive to you?

Yumiya: Hardly. He was one of those late middle-aged types who think they're still Joe Atlas. He had a certain charm to him, as many older men do. And that's why I went my separate way. He blames my brother John-John for turning me against him, but he did get his priorities skewed when he chose the life of crime over me. Laila, if you had done the same, you could have avoided that odd decision to engineer Scott's legal death that landed you in prison.

Laila: I admit that was stupid, but I honestly thought it was the only way to be rid of him.

Lunette: Yumiya, he seems to think it was you who later turned him in for ebony smuggling.

Yumiya: The hell I did! He got caught because Crassius Curio ran a finely-meshed dragnet.

Lunette: He also says your being the Nerevarene turned your head.

Yumiya: I'm sure he said that before the debacle in the Facility Cavern that very near killed me. I admit that flashing the moon-and-star ring made me something of a celebrity, and knocking off a dagoth here and a dagoth there made my reputation soar.

But the fact is that I wasn't taking that quest very seriously despite Caius Cosades's reassurances that my "delusions" about having royal blood made me a woman with a mission. The uncertain parentage part of the prophesy certainly gave the lie to my background, but I didn't want to believe that nonsense, so I went on enjoying my freedom after prison. However, seeing what the dagoths had done to Caius thoroughly unnerved me. My first thought was, "Gosh, that could be me!" I fasted and prayed to Lady Azura to take this awful burden from my shoulders, but her answer was always the same--total silence. I hoped to die of starvation in the chapel, but John-john wouldn't have it.

He rousted me out, fed me, then made sure I led the way into the Facility Cavern. But seeing Dagoth Ur right there numbed me, and I took all his ranged spells spang on the snoot. JohnB rescued me then empowered John-john to finish the job. In the end, I felt I had to take the credit for beating Dagoth Ur so as not to have to return to prison. The condition for walking free was to kill Dagoth Ur, and I didn't do that. JohnB went along with this, but John-John didn't like it one bit. He whined that the ultimate source of evil was removed from Vvardenfell, and by extension from all Tamriel, so why should the emperor quibble about who actually did it? Anyway, some fine "brother" he turned out to be. He moved out of Castle Vianden, and I haven't seen him since.

JohnB stayed on at Castle Vianden for a while and began turning the Knight's Hall into a public library, as was his stated wish. However, he seemed displeased that the friction between John-John and me was reaching the boiling point. And seeing there was no room for conciliation, he decided his presence was no longer welcome, and he left. I am very sorry for that, and I hope he knows he's welcome back at any time.

Laila: You certainly have a knack for burning bridges, don't you? And Lunette, how are things going between you and Scotti.

Lunette: I was hoping you would ask. Actually, things are going quite smoothly. I invited him to help out in my shop, but he complained that the constant back and forth of the shuttle in the loom had a hypnotic effect on him. I guess he's aged somewhat since you first met him. He likes to putter around keeping things well maintained and keeping me fed because he's very handy with tools and the frying pan. In the mean time, I just run my clothing business and am doing quite well. And you?

Laila: I'm still with Quintilius. We bought some property near Raven Rock where he works as a guard at the mine. But for the cold weather and the wild beasts, the wilderness is really not a bad place to live.

They both looked at Yumiya.

Laila: So... Yumiya, among the three of us, it looks as if you've come up somewhat short.

Yumiya: (testily) I suppose you mean my still being unattached. Well, to each her own, I say, and this is the choice I've made for the time being. I'm still young, so as with many things that have happened in my life, what's the rush? (Laila and Lunette glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.)

Actually, one of the last things JohnB promised me before he returned to his world was to rewrite my story and make it less painful for me. The woman-without-a-past mystique was fine for what it was worth, but the question was how I landed in prison and then was condemned to a suicide mission against Dagoth Ur. JohnB admitted that he heaped all these adversities on me because the flighty me needed a swift and hard kick to the tochus to toughen me up for the showdown in the Facility Cavern.

Laila: (drily) Which proved unnecessary after all.

Lunette: (recalling Decumus's analogy of her) Flighty? More like quicksilver--a quivering silvery mass that can harm you in the long run. (Yumiya ignored both of them.)

Yumiya: Anyway, I'm glad JohnB removed some of the badness from my past. Vulpinis Ereptor will never again haunt me!

Laila: Well, let us raise a glass of Cyrodiilic brandy and toast all girls, young and old, around the world!

Yumiya: KANPAI!!!

Their glasses clink together. Here's to all young girls and women who must carry on and endure. Wishing you all the best!

KANPAI!