Danan Home, Friday

[anarchist_queen]

"It's probably just as well that I don't recall many details." Leda sighed, as her younger self helped her onto the couch. "Those Science Fiction writers must have thought they were so clever when they started with all their time-travel stories and the 'one must never know too much about their destiny' trope. But let's face it, that theme's been going around since prophecy was invented."

"Yeah it never works out well does it." Young Leda agreed, sitting down beside her older self.

"That being said, let's look at family photos that haven't been taken yet."

There was still no indication either how Leda's older version had found herself transported back in time, nor how long her trip would last. Both Ledas reckoned it could be a Fandom thing, but hadn't been able to get hold of anyone to check.

After the initial confusion, Old Leda thinking Young Leda was her daughter Sila, Young Leda having no clue who Old Leda was, they were having a very nice visit.

The photo album had come with Granny Leda, as she had been holding it, and so she was able to show off to her younger self. She opened to a random page, and a big group shot was revealed. "Ah, my first graduating class. These two here, were twins. Their mother kept the boy locked in an attic for most of his life up till then poor dear..."

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[heromaniac]

The first message had been on her Compact and Momoko had asumed it was merely a wrong number since there was no emergency mentioned and the voice hadn't sounded harrassed or anything.

When she'd heard the message on her regular phone, she'd just been confused.

And finally worried. Hence the call to Leda to make sure there actually wasn't some elf in trouble in Faery or Bordertown that needed her.

*Ring Ring* my queen!

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"And this is my Granddaughter Elora." Old Leda said, pointing to a picture of a young woman on a stage holding a guitar. "Her father's a dragon you see, hence the silver sheen to her skin."

The mirror was nearest her on the side table, and she picked it up without thinking.

"Hello hello, Danan Valley Homestead here." she said. When she saw who was calling, her face lit up with fond affection. "Why Melanie! I haven't seen you in, oh I don't know how long." Centuries actually. But she'd already rather forgotten when she was.

[heromaniac]

Momoko blinked at the woman on the other end of her vid-phone... well, now she had a face to put to the voice? "Uhm. I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm not Melanie? Uhm." She checked her phone. Yes, she'd dialed Leda...

"Uhm. But it's nice to meet you? Is Leda around? Her Majesty?" Maybe this was a guest? A relative that Momoko hadn't met?

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Not Mel-"

"Momo!" Leda cried, looking up from the photo album. "Old Me, that's Momoko."

Old Leda froze in shock, and honestly looked like she might start crying. "Momoko, oh my Dear..."

Young Leda gently took the mirror from her, and awkwardly patted her shoulder with the other hand.

"Momoko, do you have an older version of you visiting from the future, or is it just me?"

[heromaniac]

"Leda!" That was said with a huge sigh of relief. Momoko had been about to start crying herself at the older woman's reaction!

"What do you mean an older version?" She frowned and looked around her small apartment as if expecting someone to appear. "No? No visitors for me. We had the future kids show up a while ago?"

"Is everything okay?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Old Leda appeared to have recovered her composure.

"Yeah, just confusing is all. I thought it was a Fandom thing. About a week ago I found this version of me from the future wandering around. Now we don't have a clue what's going on." Which seemed about par for the course for Old Leda.

"May I speak to her Sila?" Old Leda asked.

"I'm not Sila." Leda said patiently. "I'm you."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night dear."

Leda gave her a look. "Nice to know I'm still snarky when I'm a thousand years old."

She didn't quite hand the mirror over, but held it so they could both look in it and be visible at the same time.

"Hello Momoko, I'm sorry, I mistook you for your Granddaughter Melanie. I think you'll be proud of her. And I'm not a thousand, not for a few weeks yet."

[heromaniac]

"My grand da..." Okay Momoko was not going to make it through this phone call without some heavy emotions, was she?

"I'll be proud of her no matter what, Leda. Although I am glad she and you stay in touch; that maes me very happy. And I totally think you don't look a day over 900; don't listen to young Leda."

...

"I haven't heard any one say anything about this kind of weird. A whole week?" She pinched her lip. "Could it be the Border being weird again?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Probably not no. Old Leda sure wasn't.

"Bless." she smiled. "I've kept in touch with your family for more generations than I can specifically remember."

"And she's not too shy about the spoilers." Young Leda sighed. "It could be the border, now that I know it's not a Fandom thing I should check to see if anyone else is getting weird visitations."

There was a slight break in Old Leda's composure then, in the form of the old Elven Deadpan. What she hadn't told Young Her, was just how many of her friends on this side of the border she'd out-lived. If she really saw any of them again could she handle it?

This was one of the strangest coversations either Leda had ever had. "Momoko how were your future kids?"

[heromaniac]

Oh Momoko recognized that look! She wasn't quite sure why Older Leda was upset, but she was totally sure she was.

"Uhm. The future kids were different again this year. There was one that was Jaime and mine, but it wasn't one of the ones that came before; she was from a different future." One that Momoko wasn't sure about. "And then there was a boy that was mine and Jono's."

And in that world, Jaime wasn't around although JJ knew about him. Totally confusing.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

And Old Leda would do her best not to mention why she was upset. No reason to get all morbid right? She didn't actually remember how any of her friends had died. Most had been of old age (the average life expectency even among elves was about 900). But the fact remained that most were gone, and she wasn't sure she wanted to deal with seeing them again and then having to leave. Surely her visit here was temporary right?

"And I got left out as usual." Leda sighed. Though some of those photos hinted that wasn't for lack of kids. "I guess that's how the universe avoids spoilers,showing you guys several different versions to keep you guessing."

[heromaniac]

"Oooh. I totally hadn't thought of it like that," Momoko admitted, slightly distracted with thoughts of older Leda. "I was trying to figure out where that future came from, honestly." And whether or not it was one she wanted. "And you already have an awesome kid. You totally aren't allowed to have more until I'm at least married or I'll never catch up!"

"Ms Leda?" Momoko peered over at the older version of her friend. "Are you enjoying your visit? It must be very strange seeing all your old haunts again."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Oh yes Dear. Mind you I haven't been out of the valley yet." She hadn't been out of the valley for nearly 50 years. "I keep expecting to see things that haven't been built yet. But I've the gift of hindsight now, so while before I was never able to pinpoint it, I think I see the beginnings of the Dryad village that's sprung up by my time." She turned to Leda; "It's going to be too transcendent Dear, you and the children will love it. No one builds tree houses like Dryads."

Leda wondered if Sila had gotten her message about future her yet.

"Now Momoko," Old Leda said, "I'm a bit hazy as to precisely when I am in relation to everything, the time change between Faery and everywhere else isn't helping at all. So what's new in your life?"

[heromaniac]

Momoko smiled fondly. "Well, I'm living in El Paso? Going to college and being a hero. Nothing special, sorry."

She tried to think of anything that stood out... "We just got back from helping save the Unicorns from being exterminated in Karla's world?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Wha- What happened to the Unicorns?!"

[heromaniac]

Momoko blinked, then covered her mouth. "Oh! Didn't Raven and Emma get through to you? Karla said the call may not have reached everyone, but I just... There was so much going on that I really didn't notice who was there and who wasn't."

"The Council decided that unicorns weren't Blood and therefore the land was unsettled and the Council could assign it to some of their people... which the unicorns objected to, so the Council decided it was okay to kill all the unicorns."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Both Leda's were speechless for a moment. Their shared outrage was such that neither could think of what to say.

Finally, current Leda just asked; "Did you win?"

[heromaniac]

"Do we ever really win when people die?" Momoko sighed, her face fallen. "There were a lot of lives lost - human and kindred, but we drove them out. Jaenelle is going to confront the Council about it."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

How well Leda understood that. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there." she said. "I hope Jaenelle kicks their collective asses. Makes me glad though that things here have really started to improve. The Nobles are coming around, well the ones that were so stubborn that they were still causing problems. Now we're just trying to figure out a way to deal with the occasional raiding party." Besides "Crush All The Things".

[heromaniac]

"Me too. I'm glad to hear things are going so well there, though. I worry when you don't call. Are the raids just between nobles or has someone figured out a way across the border?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Oh no, nothing like that. Not even amongst the nobles really. Though there was this feud going on for a few years before I got back in touch with you guys. Those things can last for a long time, even by Elven standards, but Sila, Ron and Iranon stopped it. Pretty much the same way they stopped that near riot in Bordertown a while back."

[heromaniac]

"Oh good." Momoko sighed. "Some of those nobles were still pretty iffy when I met them again at your ball. I wouldn't mind coming back to ruffle a few feathers if they need it."

"Ah! And you know I visited the kids, right? And met some of their team? In Bordertown?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Heh, "their team". Some of that team might take umbrage at that phrasing. Might be fun to mention it to them. Down mischief, down!

"Yeah they told me! How'd you like Stick? I always found him a bit intimidating the times I met him." That was back when he was very standoffish to everyone, even when he saved someone from getting mugged or worse.

[heromaniac]

"He was very polite. I totally got the impression he was really shy? And using Lubin-chan to distract people from him." She giggled slightly. "He needs to train her a little more. She's a bit bossy."

"He's really cute, though. And familiar... Did I ever meet him before?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Uh...I don't know. I don't remember him around when we met Eli, did you meet him when you helped Orient stop those drug runners?" She didn't think she'd seen him since moving to Faerie. "But yeah I hear his good looks wound up being instrumental in stopping this one bitch that was working with Lankin."

[heromaniac]

"Hmm. I don't think so. He's been around for that long?" Momoko shrugged. "Maybe he looks like someone I know. He just has this feeling about him."

"But he was very nice. And I'm glad the kids have help doing that. And that Bordertown has them; I worry about the citizens of Bordertown a lot."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda sometimes felt guilty about how little she worried about Bordertown. For a long time she'd felt Faerie was home, and had spent so much time worrying about it and it's citizens, that she couldn't seem to spare much for her old stomping grounds.

Of course so much of her life in Bordertown had been...not great.

"Stick's been around for as long as I can remember." she said pensively. "And Bordertown's not a bad place, it has it's problems, like any city, but mostly it's great." Every city had gangs and drugs and evil Vampire Elves right?

[heromaniac]

"It's the lack of police that I worry about," Momoko eyerolled good-humouredly. "I mean, I now that most of the people are able to take care of themselves, but there's times when people shouldn't have to."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"There's the Silver Suits." they'd been pretty good during the whole "drug that tried to turn humans into elves" thing. Except for that the lead detective was behind it all. Which was part of the argument against having police really. "They mostly deal with the more quote unquote civilized areas of the city though. If they go into Soho it's usually because of something really bad."

[heromaniac]

"Not that level. Normal people." Momoko shrugged. "I guess I'm just thinking of the times when police come in handy. Like if someone picks your pocket or if you're being chased or your store gets robbed."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Well there wasn't really an argument to that that didn't fall under the category of 'citizens taking care of it themselves' which was Momo's whole point. "I think the people of Bordertown decided they'd rather take care of stuff like that themselves, than become dependent on an organization they might not necessarily trust know."

[heromaniac]

Momoko knew enough of the people of Bordertown that she totally hear the word Leda hadn't said. "True. I just... feel sad, you know? And that's why I worry and why I'm glad the kids are working together to take care of things."

"It's the hero of justice in me, sorry."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Oh I totally get that." Folks could tell when Leda hadn't heard from Sila in a while because she got cranky. For that matter, Wiseguy was similar when she hadn't heard from Ron in a while.

"When I lived in Bordertown, my trying to help was starting the Strange Pupae and trying to lead by example to get people to get along. But I almost always tried to stay out of trouble. Now my daughter's all adventurous, and I sometimes find myself second guessing a lot of my anarchistic views."

"Anarchy does not actually negate organization dear." Future Leda reminded her. "That's why it's good that they're banding together more."

[heromaniac]

"Exactly Ms Leda!" Momoko pounced on that. "That's exactly what I mean! Chaos isn't healthy or happy!"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"It's a very common mis-conception Melanie. Perpetuated of course by authoritarians. That Anarchy and chaos are one and the same."

[heromaniac]

"See, Leda! Even Ms Leda agrees!" Though Momoko was fairly sure Anarchy and Chaos were related... "And anarchy doesn't mean you have to make people suffer. So for those who can't help themselves as well, I am glad the kids are out there."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"I'm finding that understanding true anarchy is a constant learning experience." Young Leda admitted. "Though I suspect I have a slightly harder time of it because I'm actually in a position of authority."

Old Leda giggled, a sound that had not altered in her centuries. "Oh my Dear that's one of the things I love to say to young Anarchists. 'Anyone can be an anarchist when they're one of the proletariat. It's easy to rant and rave about the ruling class when you're not one of them.'"