Plenty of time for you to talk to Davonte

I have a warm purring cat in my lap. Life is good.

I think I’m going to nix the gender neutral pronouns in my novel. Not enough characters use them. As an experiment, I updated a section in Chapter 2 to include the doctor using the gender neutral pronouns. I don’t think it adds enough to the story to be worth the confusion:

Marconi straightens and sees me. <Ah. There you are. How are you feeling?>

<Perfectly well, thank you. Your handiwork?>

<Yes. Davonte brought you both straight to me.>

<How’s Carson?>

<Better. Yils condition was dire at first. Yi’s likely gifted, mindcraft wise. Allucinari is worse the stronger you are. I’m keeping yil sedated until the drug leaves yils system. It’s kinder this way.>

I’m surprised. <I thought you’d be able to give him the cure.>

<Cure is not quite the right term. It prevents someone from being susceptible to the drug in the future but doesn’t do anything to alleviate the symptoms of someone who is already infected.>

<So it won’t work on him at all?>

She hesitates. <I will give yil the inoculation as soon as the drug clears yils system and it will prevent yil from being susceptible to further harm should yi ever be dosed with allucinari again.> 

Good. <Will there be any permanent damage?>

Another hesitation. <No.>

Walking the rest of the way inside, I come to stand beside Carson. His hair is a mess of floppy curls. I must not have noticed it wasn’t straight when I found him in that Chair. The dark circles are gone from beneath his eyes. He remains unshaven but now the hair is long enough to look like he’s growing a beard instead of seeming haggard or hung over. There’s still a furrowing of his eyebrows, a slight clenching around his eyes, that makes me wonder how peaceful his rest is. At least he’s not screaming.

<Thank you for taking care of him,> I express my gratitude earnestly and her eyes lighten.

<I’m glad to help.>

Marconi has Carson dressed in a pair of blue scrubs. <Did you keep his clothes?>

<Yes.> She unhooks a canvas bag from the side of the boxspring supporting Carson’s mattress and hands it to me. Inside I find Carson’s dark grey t-shirt and jeans, as well as a pair of Vans and black socks. They smell of sweat.

<Can I take these?>

<Of course.>

<When will the drug leave his system?>

<By nightfall. I’ll keep yil for observation through tomorrow morning. Then yi’s free to go.>

<Great.>

<Plenty of time for you to talk to Davonte,> she teases, smirking.

<Joy.>