OOMM: For Ronan

[nita_callahan]

Nita realizes that when she agreed to start dating a sex mage, she probably should have expected things to get complicated.

And she also realizes that when she gave Matt permission to sleep with other people, she probably should have expected that he would, you know, take her up on it

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[not_in_the_book]

Ronan was, five minutes before his phone rings, wrist-deep in A'mric intestinal tract -- not a pleasant prospect, as their digestive processes are as noxious as their poetry. Which is very.

Luckily, by the time the phone actually rings, he's washed off and flopping down on the cot in the small on-call room off of the clinic he's working in on Olas IV. Even if he does have to wrinkle his nose at the smell coming off his hands as he answers the call. "Dai," he greets cheerfully. "How goes, cousin?"

Caller ID is a wonderful invention.

[nita_callahan]

She smiles automatically.

"Dai, Ronan. Are you busy?"

[not_in_the_book]

"Actually, you've caught me at the perfect time," Ronan explained. "Just finished with a patient, and unless an emergency comes in, I'm free for the rest of the afternoon." He paused. "Which is about thirty-five Earth minutes. But still, a break's a break!"

[nita_callahan]

A snort. "Where are you, anyway?"

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan laughed. "Olas IV," he explained. "Not far from Rirhath, actually. Nice system, climate similar to Earth's. Most of the civilisation's in the northern temperate zone, but there're some nice equatorial islands, too, and a small continent in the southern temperate zone that houses, among other things, their spaceport."

[nita_callahan]

"You sound like a brochure. A very convincing brochure."

[not_in_the_book]

"I should do, I've been reciting it often enough," Ronan said. He was fairly certain his smirk could be heard across the phone connection. "Been calling people back on my Earth. My Nita included." He paused. "Not that you're not my Nita, too, but you know what I mean."

[nita_callahan]

"Yeah, alternate universes will drive you crazy that way."

[not_in_the_book]

"Tell me about it," Ronan said, laughing. "There's this one family that went to my high school, like, three generations of them? Except I don't think there were any two from the same version of their universe, much less the same point in the timeline. And there were more people from yet more alternate versions of their universe, most of whom were connected with their family in some way."

[Seriously, the Skywalker-Solo dynasty at Fandom High is kind of epically hilarious. Ben Skywalker and Ender Wiggin just finally admitted that they totally love each other. Characters in-game are going, "FINALLY!" Most of the players are waving glitter flags.]

[nita_callahan]

"Oh, God, that sounds like the most awkward family reunion ever."

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan laughed. "They definitely had their moments. I think at one point someone was older than her own mother?"

[nita_callahan]

"I am so, so glad that I haven't run into too many personal paradoxes at Milliways. Aside from you, I mean."

[not_in_the_book]

"Likewise," Ronan agreed. "It was weird enough having a Carmela from a year in my own future, when I got to Fandom High. I can't imagine what would have happened if it had started to get even more complicated, or if the timeline hadn't resolved itself a few months later."

[nita_callahan]

"Headaches. And a lot of very careful conversations."

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan nodded. "It's... Sometimes, I really hate time travel."

And travel between universes could be problematic, too. "And, I mean, as much as I was glad that the timelines caught up, I could have done without being stuck Sideways for a year to do it."

[nita_callahan]

"Yeah."

She takes a breath. "Speaking of time, since you're kind of limited . . ."

A beat.

"God, that was an awkward segue." She rubs her forehead. "Sorry. But, um, I did call for a consult. Kind of. And I don't want to waste your break or anything."