For daemonmuses.
Some daemons, Dr. Park knew, settled on their final forms with a great show and hullabaloo. Their humans, and every other human around them, knew in no uncertain terms that This Was It, a Thing Had Happened. No one could've missed Shenandoah, Wally Mack's daemon, settling into a mastiff even if they had tried. Butch's Achamoth had put up as much fuss as a six-foot-long snake could manage when she finally settled, too. Others were quieter about it, but still had an air about them anyone could see; Amata's own Phineas, upon achieving his final hedgehog shape, was all but dancing whenever someone else looked his way. It varied from person to person, daemon to daemon, just how the settling would finally come across. But there was usually a sign that this was not simply an especially long stretch of a given form. You could usually tell.
And sometimes you couldn't, not until after.
He was in the middle of reviewing Floyd Lewis' medical records when he felt Nehushtan prodding at his ear with her blunt nose. The bronze-backed snake preferred to drape herself around his neck and shoulders whenever possible, and today was no exception. "Nehushtan," he said without looking up or turning his head, "I'm busy."
"James," murmured the snake, "put the files down."
He frowned a bit at that. "What is this about, Nehushtan?"
Nehushtan didn't answer right away, but her front end lifted away from his shoulder; her gaze was fixed on the office door. James laid the files down and turned that way just as its wheezing mechanisms slid open and Ellen stepped through. "Dad?"
The part of Nehushtan's length that was still in contact with James' shoulder tensed enough to feel even through the reinforced seams of the Vault suit. He did his best to ignore it, focusing on Ellen's look of concern instead. "What is it, sweetie?"
"Dad..." Ellen hesitated, touching the tips of her fingers together as she tried to find the words. Saoshyant, her daemon, had taken the form of a good-sized reddish brown mouse, and was clinging to her shoulder in what looked like an effort at reassurance. "Christine Kendall says they've set a date for the GOAT exam for this year."
"Well, yes, dear," said James, wondering who had let it slip. Mr. Brotch wasn't prone to releasing that kind of information to the kids early. "That was done quite some time ago."
"And that it's in two weeks," Ellen went on. "Is that true?"
"I believe so, yes," said James. "Why, is that a problem?"
"It's the GOAT, Dad!" Ellen blurted. "It's important! It's gonna decide my job forever and it's in just two weeks!"
"Now, Ellen," James began to murmur, but Saoshyant had beaten him to the punch. The mouse daemon had stood up, his forepaw on Ellen's left ear, and tipped his head back in what looked to James like a silent howl. It went on for a few seconds, pausing only when Saoshyant had to draw breath. By the time it was over, Ellen's expression had gone from stricken to sheepish. "Are you all right?" James asked.
"I- I'm sorry," Ellen said. "I... I got a little..."
"Overblown?" suggested Saoshyant.
"Freaked out," Ellen corrected. "It was kind of silly of me, wasn't it."
"Yes it was," said the mouse daemon. "You've been sixteen for some time now, you and all the rest of this year's kids. You knew it was coming."
Ellen chewed her bottom lip, but nodded. She glanced up at her father. "I'm sorry, Dad," she said contritely. "It was just- you hear stories about ending up with awful jobs, you know?"
"I know, sweetie," said James as Nehushtan settled back onto his shoulder. "I know. And you haven't got anything to worry about in that regard."
"You're sure?"
"I'm certain," said James. "Just take the test, and take it as seriously as you've taken your studies. Then I won't have to explain to your mother's ghost why her only child ended up a- a garbage burner, or something."
He privately felt the likelihood of that was next to nil. It must've showed in his voice, because Ellen ducked her head, suppressing a giggle. "All right, Dad," she said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Ellen. Now, if you don't mind..." He gestured towards the files on his desk. "I'd like to finish this."
"Oh! Sure," Ellen said. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"
"All right."
After she had gone, James turned his head just enough to catch Nehushtan looking at him. "What was that about?" he asked. "I can understand her being uneasy about the exam. That daemon of hers, though..."
"You couldn't hear it?" said Nehushtan. James shook his head fractionally. "He was howling."
"Howling."
"In the highest registers a human can hear. You probably lost those frequencies a long time ago." Nehushtan's tongue flickered out in a serpentine gesture of something like smugness.
"He was a mouse, Nehushtan," James felt obliged to point out. "Mice don't howl."
"Don't they?" said the snake. "You're aware that there's more than one kind of mouse, I hope?"
James started to answer that, then stopped, frowning. Eventually he set Floyd's folder aside and got up to seek out the Vault's ancient copy of the 2076 Encyclopedia Atomica. It would be some time before he found the little creature's picture, at the head of the entry on Onychomys leucogaster, the Northern Grasshopper Mouse. He read the entry through from beginning to end, then put the book back on the shelf.
When he realized a week later that Saoshyant hadn't changed form at all since that howl in his office, and almost certainly had stopped doing so for good, he went to look for the encyclopedia again. At least, he thought, it was a pre-War species. The Overseer would have run them both out on a rail if Saoshyant had settled on a giant ant or some other creature only the post-war landscape could produce. It wouldn't have suited his 'we're born in the Vault, we die in the Vault' propaganda at all.
When the GOAT results came back a week after that, he went back and reread the entry one more time. The test results had slotted Ellen into the Vault chaplaincy track, of all things. He dearly hoped old Reverend Avellone knew what he was getting into.
And sometimes you couldn't, not until after.
He was in the middle of reviewing Floyd Lewis' medical records when he felt Nehushtan prodding at his ear with her blunt nose. The bronze-backed snake preferred to drape herself around his neck and shoulders whenever possible, and today was no exception. "Nehushtan," he said without looking up or turning his head, "I'm busy."
"James," murmured the snake, "put the files down."
He frowned a bit at that. "What is this about, Nehushtan?"
Nehushtan didn't answer right away, but her front end lifted away from his shoulder; her gaze was fixed on the office door. James laid the files down and turned that way just as its wheezing mechanisms slid open and Ellen stepped through. "Dad?"
The part of Nehushtan's length that was still in contact with James' shoulder tensed enough to feel even through the reinforced seams of the Vault suit. He did his best to ignore it, focusing on Ellen's look of concern instead. "What is it, sweetie?"
"Dad..." Ellen hesitated, touching the tips of her fingers together as she tried to find the words. Saoshyant, her daemon, had taken the form of a good-sized reddish brown mouse, and was clinging to her shoulder in what looked like an effort at reassurance. "Christine Kendall says they've set a date for the GOAT exam for this year."
"Well, yes, dear," said James, wondering who had let it slip. Mr. Brotch wasn't prone to releasing that kind of information to the kids early. "That was done quite some time ago."
"And that it's in two weeks," Ellen went on. "Is that true?"
"I believe so, yes," said James. "Why, is that a problem?"
"It's the GOAT, Dad!" Ellen blurted. "It's important! It's gonna decide my job forever and it's in just two weeks!"
"Now, Ellen," James began to murmur, but Saoshyant had beaten him to the punch. The mouse daemon had stood up, his forepaw on Ellen's left ear, and tipped his head back in what looked to James like a silent howl. It went on for a few seconds, pausing only when Saoshyant had to draw breath. By the time it was over, Ellen's expression had gone from stricken to sheepish. "Are you all right?" James asked.
"I- I'm sorry," Ellen said. "I... I got a little..."
"Overblown?" suggested Saoshyant.
"Freaked out," Ellen corrected. "It was kind of silly of me, wasn't it."
"Yes it was," said the mouse daemon. "You've been sixteen for some time now, you and all the rest of this year's kids. You knew it was coming."
Ellen chewed her bottom lip, but nodded. She glanced up at her father. "I'm sorry, Dad," she said contritely. "It was just- you hear stories about ending up with awful jobs, you know?"
"I know, sweetie," said James as Nehushtan settled back onto his shoulder. "I know. And you haven't got anything to worry about in that regard."
"You're sure?"
"I'm certain," said James. "Just take the test, and take it as seriously as you've taken your studies. Then I won't have to explain to your mother's ghost why her only child ended up a- a garbage burner, or something."
He privately felt the likelihood of that was next to nil. It must've showed in his voice, because Ellen ducked her head, suppressing a giggle. "All right, Dad," she said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Ellen. Now, if you don't mind..." He gestured towards the files on his desk. "I'd like to finish this."
"Oh! Sure," Ellen said. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"
"All right."
After she had gone, James turned his head just enough to catch Nehushtan looking at him. "What was that about?" he asked. "I can understand her being uneasy about the exam. That daemon of hers, though..."
"You couldn't hear it?" said Nehushtan. James shook his head fractionally. "He was howling."
"Howling."
"In the highest registers a human can hear. You probably lost those frequencies a long time ago." Nehushtan's tongue flickered out in a serpentine gesture of something like smugness.
"He was a mouse, Nehushtan," James felt obliged to point out. "Mice don't howl."
"Don't they?" said the snake. "You're aware that there's more than one kind of mouse, I hope?"
James started to answer that, then stopped, frowning. Eventually he set Floyd's folder aside and got up to seek out the Vault's ancient copy of the 2076 Encyclopedia Atomica. It would be some time before he found the little creature's picture, at the head of the entry on Onychomys leucogaster, the Northern Grasshopper Mouse. He read the entry through from beginning to end, then put the book back on the shelf.
When he realized a week later that Saoshyant hadn't changed form at all since that howl in his office, and almost certainly had stopped doing so for good, he went to look for the encyclopedia again. At least, he thought, it was a pre-War species. The Overseer would have run them both out on a rail if Saoshyant had settled on a giant ant or some other creature only the post-war landscape could produce. It wouldn't have suited his 'we're born in the Vault, we die in the Vault' propaganda at all.
When the GOAT results came back a week after that, he went back and reread the entry one more time. The test results had slotted Ellen into the Vault chaplaincy track, of all things. He dearly hoped old Reverend Avellone knew what he was getting into.