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

[from_scratch]

"If you like. Do you fly? Is there flying pattern laid out there, I wouldn't know?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

Steel answers, "Yes she can fly, no the flightstream doesn't go all the way to the dam. There's a road that goes most of the way, but stops a mile or two short. It's a lot faster to show you the new pumping plant?"

"Pumping plant it is." Grind gets up and marches out of the office, barking at the secretary along the way, "Tell Vine something came up! Reschedule for tomorrow, and I don't care how upset about it he is."

Steel leads her out of the city on shaper-accessible paths, then down the mainway towards that bridge. "There it is."

Once inside, she asks Steel, "You understand what the hell all this stuff is doing, right?"

"It's using electricity to pump water. It's a hell of a lot cheaper at the rate he's willing to lease it to Opri than shapers manning pumpjacks. You gave me control over the water district, I will remind you. And I'm reading some books on how exactly it all works, he may be willing to give you copies as well."

"You're a sarcastic uppity valuable district manager, you are. Alright. How about one of those books?" This is directed at Cam.

[from_scratch]

"The books are not in your language, and it would take a long time to teach enough of same to my computer that I could translate them. Steel's working in Italian, which she's started learning and taken to pretty well."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Will you say boo if she distributes translated versions of your books? Intellectual property law is a bitch."

[from_scratch]

Cam laughs. "I will not start throwing around intellectual property law regarding any books I supply unless someone else starts using intellectual property law in a way I don't like."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I'll probably translate some sooner or later. First I want to get the city wired, then we can teach people about how it all works."

Grind asks, "I'm guessing you won't need the twenty guys you sent back early today?"

"Nope. And soon the entire water district will be pipe-maintenance only, Cam said he'd redo the aquifer pumps too. And then there's the light and elevators."

"We'll want training on all this new stuff sooner or later, Steel. Consider it part of your job."

Steel gives a polite little bow. Grind snorts. "Cam, to put the cable through the wall you'll need to deal with Kell. Brace yourself for scheming."

[from_scratch]

"Scheming. Oh no. Is it the sort of scheming I can wave away with bribery and wit?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Bribery is more likely to work than wit. Threats, perhaps, too. Managing the water is Steel's job, but when it comes time to do elevators or lights I'll want maps and layouts prepared. Steel, write up a summary of the elevators' and lights' abilities and limitations by end of day tomorrow so I can make plans. Cam, on behalf of the city of Opri I accept the lease conditions. I'll have you a down payment by sunset."

She walks out of the building and flies back towards Opri.

"I know where to find Kell," Steel mentions.

[from_scratch]

"Should we go find him or wait for him to find us?" wonders Cam.

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I strongly suspect he'll be waiting at the gate and attempt to fine you for claiming to have no magic."

[from_scratch]

"Ha. All right. ...How illegal is counterfeiting around here, just out of curiosity?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Money's value comes from the metal. If you have gold, it's as good as any other gold. The stamped coins are just for convenient standard measurements. If you tried to pass off gold-plated copper as pure gold that would get you in trouble, but our economy did not expect conjuring."

[from_scratch]

"All right. I might have some fun with him, then, we'll see."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I suppose poking the cat is safe if you're a bear." She starts flying to the city.

[from_scratch]

Cam giggles and flies after her.

[sturdycoldsteel]

When they get to the city, someone Steel identifies as Kell is in fact waiting for them. With a small army of uniformed guards surrounding him.

As they approach, "Cam! I've heard lots of interesting rumors about you. Grind tells me you want to bring dangerous, untested machines into the city... But let's talk about that in a moment. It seems you filled out your visitor form incorrectly! You indicated that you had no magic. Now, granted, the form didn't have a field for whatever kind of magic you have. With that in mind, I'll waive most of the refiling fee, reducing it to three silver circles." (This is actually a fairly small amount, equivalent to a few days in a cheap hotel)

[from_scratch]

"The form wanted to know if I was a shaper. I'm not. You need to redesign them if you want to catch people like me."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Unfortunately the reality here is that the form was still inaccurately filled out. Not having complete information about the people visiting our city poses a significant security risk. We don't register piano players, but you should have disclosed an unusual ability with such a large potential for disruption."

[from_scratch]

"You also didn't ask if I know martial arts, brought weapons, know how to pick locks, carry infectious disease, sympathize with your political enemies, or descend from an ancestor who was cursed with generations of bad luck that brings earthquakes wherever I go. Those are all 'nos', by the way. There wasn't a space on the form for 'miscellaneous potential hazard'."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"We'll be correcting that. But we still need to re-file your paperwork, send a courier with a correction and formal apology to the senate, and deal with low-level unrest caused by strange rumors. Your unusualness is a burden on Opri Security Group. There must be recompense. And I'm given to understand that a little silver is hardly outside of your ability."

The way he talks about it, you might almost think he wants a symbolic submission to his authority more than the actual money.

[from_scratch]

"It's true. I could make a little silver. Or I could fly away and stop bothering you, since I'm such a disruption. I mean, this would have an opportunity cost of much more than three silver, but it sounds like I'm a headache to you personally, and I can't imagine why anyone would wish a headache on you."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Fine, forget the fine. I get it, you're a special snowflake with unheard-of powers. You're poking fun at me, at authority, because you don't like how things are run here. But the point is that you need to follow procedure. You need to cooperate not make unnecessary splashes or the Senate will come and step on us all."

"Even if you'll survive that, Opri and its citizens might not. It's a risk. If you're going to keep throwing new technology at Opri- Technology, I remind you, that nobody here but you and maybe Steel has any familiarity with. The Opri City Council had an emergency meeting this morning, and we want some conditions to ensure Opri's welfare even if you attract a reactionary army."

[from_scratch]

"Do you have something in mind?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"A veto power, your sincere consideration of projects that the Opri City Council requests, guarantees that you will give the Senate samples of or information about anything you give Opri if they request it, proper documentation of all products and services, permission to dismantle or destroy the things you make with one week's notice if they interfere with city operations, thorough education on the technology, any of your industries or sales that occur in Opri space being subject to a 24% gross income tax, and a public statement that Opri is not responsible for any criminal or aggressive actions you take."

[from_scratch]

"I can do some of that. I will sincerely consider suggested projects, I can print out design schematics for anything I make, if you want to wreck your infrastructure I'll probably stop making you new infrastructure but I won't make a huge fuss about it, there is a language and assumed technology barrier in all educational materials I could produce and my personal time is valuable but I'm not opposed to teaching you guys to maintain or manufacture the shiny toys, and I'll happily state that Opri is not making me do anything criminal or aggressive unless you in fact come up with some way to make me do things that are one of those, which is unlikely. Is that income tax standard?"