trade my soul for a wish

[from_scratch]

This is a successor to "call me maybe", which is getting crowded.

Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.


with Mark (kappa)

with Adanya (Aestrix)

with Sable (kappa)

with Ari (andaisq)

with Metella (kappa)

with Miles (kappa)

with Isabella (Eva)

with Steel (Rockeye)

with Daphne (Maggie)

with Edie (Maggie)

Comments

[kaolinandbone]

The trip is about as uneventful as covert space reconnissance of an unknown planet can be. As expected, the planet is a mirrored earth - except for China and Australia, which appear to have become an enormous volcanic archipelago with highly unusual weather-patterns.

[from_scratch]

Weird.

Cam records his entire trip, then lands whence he came.

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella is sitting on the stoop, nibbling on a piece of eclair. She looks up as he approaches.

"Welcome back, casual circumnavigator. Did you discover anything interesting?

[from_scratch]

"Yeah, China - whence the language you thought sounded churchy and one of the ones you couldn't identify - and also Australia - have both been replaced with a lot of volcanic islands."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella hums.

"That is rather interesting, considering that that area is what I would call Oceania, whence of the unusual rumors."

[from_scratch]

"Where did the church language come from?"

[kaolinandbone]

"It's hundreds of years old. Quite possibly as old as the Imperial Line. I would say 'Victoria' but that would be unhelpful."

[from_scratch]

"In my world Chinese in all its dialects is extremely old, but I'm not sure we're going to get anything much out of this kind of spotty view of history - no offense, I'm sure I wouldn't know much world history either in a world with no Internet and no casual intercontinental travel."

[kaolinandbone]

"History is not my field, no." Lioncourt smiles. "I would expect you might have better luck in one of the scientific libraries in Victoria."

[from_scratch]

"Quite possibly. But even down two wings and a tail I don't know if I could conduct myself inconspicuously."

[kaolinandbone]

"You might have to enlist me to borrow a card catalog."

[from_scratch]

"Yeah."

[kaolinandbone]

"At least looking like a child tends to make me beneath suspicion." She smiles lopsidedly.

[from_scratch]

"If it had no upsides at all that would just be unfair."

[kaolinandbone]

"A hundred extra years is hardly insignificant. If I wasn't a vampire, I would probably be dead by now."

She shrugs.

"Life goes on, and we've just got to do the best we can with it."

[from_scratch]

"Very philosophical. You want a look at Oceania from the air?"

[kaolinandbone]

"I doubt it would be particularly illuminating. I have other duties to attend to, and while it would probably be enjoyable, I'm not certain it's worth risking another spotting merely for fun's sake. Thank you for the offer, in any case."

[from_scratch]

"No, I mean, I recorded it on flyover."

[kaolinandbone]

"... You have screens that display images. Of course you also have methods of recording images. Please forgive me for forgetting that photography exists."

[from_scratch]

Cam smiles good-naturedly and pulls his computer out of his pocket and shows her Oceania.

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella examines it.

"As you said, it hasn't got anything like the shape of your world, unlike everywhere else in my world. Would you mind bringing up the mirrored map of your world again?"

[from_scratch]

Here that is again.

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella looks from one to the other.

"... You know, this would probably be a lot more enlightening if I were a geologist. One thing that does leap out at me is that there are no additions - there's no extra landmass from your own world, only additional ocean. Perhaps there was some sort of natural disaster in my world that sank most of - China, you said?"

[from_scratch]

"Maybe, but if the sea level rose or fell much in general you'd expect the coastlines to be different."

[kaolinandbone]

"True. Perhaps it's that the land sank, rather than the sea rising?"