Dateline: Thursday Evening, Q4, 2021.
Local events have resumed and the community is rejoicing over meeting in public again. It feels like everyone and their cat has begun dating with a vengeance, seeking new partners like they’re a non-renewable resource and humans are in short supply. As a result, the munches and meetups and “come have a beer with your local polyamorous community” events are more crowded than ever, even as weather drives us indoors, luckily coinciding with the general public receiving second shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The BIG local polycules are now huge. One became an official ouroboros during the quarantine of 2020/early 2021 - everyone dating their metamours, a Celtic knot of epic proportions, an impossible constellation to draw. The local ouroboros is now expanding, and they have graced this Thursday’s meetup with every single one of their presence - because a new outside partner is attending. Even the formerly apparently polysaturated among us feel the fresh air of post-lockdown dating fever, and they are here to act upon it and meet the fruits of that action.
Drinks in hand, they descend, somewhat terrifyingly, upon the new sweetheart of their para/meta/telemour. Everyone is trying not to interrogate or play 20 questions, but a polycule of 11 each trying not to do that still asks three questions each and thirty three questions over a couple hours is a lot and this new person isn’t sure he signed up for this...even if he was warned. He was expecting the third degree from the three officially defined partners, not every metamour and interconnected, comes to a potluck connected adult in the polycule. His partner seems relaxed about it and checks in occasionally but has wandered off to greet friends and brings them over to say hi. They’re easier and lower stress interactions.
The new partner brings this up on the way to the car.
“Oh, well you said no third degree but you asked for a public event meeting, so everyone was there, it’s hard when everyone is there to keep people from being a little nosy. If I’d just set up coffees with my partners on their own they’re much better at being polite than all the metas in one place, plus <telemour> is bad at boundaries when he drinks.” His partner replies, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
“How couldn’t you have warned me?” New Partner splutters
“I suggested the other meeting style before an event like this; I thought that was a warning. I have two metas with whom I share partners but who I don’t date who feel really invested in who I start to see, their partners are in turn invested in their feelings… it’s messy if everyone is there, that’s why I didn’t have you go to last week’s potluck.” Their head tilts as if to say, didn’t you see this then?
Now at the car, New Partner, unprepared for the full onslaught of Ouroboros ‘cule at once and unsure what it means for this new sweetie of his, says “Well, it was nice to meet your friends and your partners, I’ll call you.”
This reporter will follow the story as to whether the New Partner calls back.
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