Warmth

Dear Mother and Father,

I regret to inform you that I will not be returning from Steelhead. You may wish to come here to see me when it becomes practical. I know that is an arrogant thing to say, and I ask your forgiveness, but I cannot much help it. To leave here now is unthinkable, and I have sincerely tried to think about it. I wish I could explain my reasons, but as you are both painfully aware, I am far from the most rational creature on The Grid.
You will, on the other hand, be pleased to know that I am actually on The Grid for the time being. I have (thanks mainly to the minty-spice boxes and a bit of willpower) gotten some rest and even made it to Mama Valdy's tavern again. It's in a completely different building than it used to be, but in the same location as before. They said that the previous building got so infested with mimmoths--that is, the tiny, fluffy elephant-like creatures I've described to you in the past--that the only way to stop them was to blow up the whole building. I didn't realize those little things were so much trouble! Next time I get close enough to them, I will need to punish them for their disrespect. On the other hand, Miss Dreamscape made Ms. Steamweaver of the Jaegerpeople give me some leftover meat from the exploded mimmoths, and I am almost certain it was delicious for reasons unrelated to my not having had meat in more than half a year. I must conclude, then, that they do have their uses, although they all deserve Purgatory and worse.
They at least put the extra space from the new building to use: Mama Miss Dreamscape was a dragon. I mean, she was literally a massive reptile with scales and wings. I don't know how that works, though Miss Requiem of the fancy tail had a dragonish form of her own. Nobody was especially perturbed by the change, and she was still mentally herself.
I learnt a little bit about international politics: Steelhead is allied with a place called Steeltopia which is run by an Emperor Calamari. You probably already knew that and are annoyed that I repeated something so obvious.
The aether of the Steamlands was very unstable last night--so much so, in fact, that Miss Dreamscape and Miss Requiem had to stay long into the night battling its anomalies. They must be very powerful in order to take on a force of nature like that. Although by the time they finished up, everyone else who might demonstrate its stability or instability was gone, they were able to claim a stunning victory over their own aetheric fields! It was very impressive.
I admit that if I'd had an actual home to return to, it would have been inappropriate for me to stay the night uninvited. But on the other hand, please consider that I was never invited to leave, either. For what it's worth, I didn't brazenly march upstairs or any such thing. It was too late, dark, and chilly to make the trek back to the mines by then. We spoke of things for a little while, and
She hugged me. Mama Miss Dreamscape hugged me with a wing. It's the strangest thing I've ever experienced (counting all the months I've been in the lands of science and magic). I've snuggled Porridge and squeezed Squeezy, but having an actual person folded around oneself is another thing entirely. You used to pick me up and carry me about when I was smaller, didn't you? I suppose you must have, but I don't remember it very well. I still remember this. It's so strange. I will be unsurprised if my body remembers this "hug" thing for another month or two. I've used the expression "so-and-so needs a hug"; and I have seen lovers embrace, and even family members on occasion. But why in the name of the highest Heaven and deepest Hell would anyone wish to do such a thing to me, of all people? I am so confused. I suspect she may have mistaken me for someone likable. Perhaps she gets a wide variety of ragamuffins invading her home at odd hours and can no longer keep us all straight. Do you think that's possible?
Please don't think I had one of my silly emotional fits at the time. I swear to all the Powers That Be, she has never seen me cry--and so help me, she never will.
In any case, something important has changed. I am not sure how or why. It probably has something to do with hugging. If you were here, I'm certain one or both of you would know exactly what has happened on every level. But I cannot go far from this place anymore. Something has definitely changed. It runs beneath the aether, beneath my thoughts, beneath measurement and quantification. But something has changed.
I'm sorry.

Shaqad