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]

"That's often the way of things. Is Kanimir a danger to others?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Not usually. I think he probably would have let my friends go even if I'd just refused him instead of managing to be a credible source of harm. He knows what Jaromira won't forgive, and I don't think he's ever crossed that line."

[from_scratch]

"I mean, being locked up in a dungeon by a vampire sounds like a singularly unpleasant evening even if the vampire does not in fact intend on doing you bodily injury."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"I know. But he is important to Jaromira, too, and she's important to me. And he's a spectacularly useful font of knowledge--most of the time he's too busy with his books to bother anyone."

[from_scratch]

"These are not usually the pieces of information I use to decide whether someone is a threat to the general public."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Also I'm not actually a credible source of harm to him when I don't have the element of surprise and close physical contact. And--fuck." She stops the car and drops her head against the steering wheel. "He really, really doesn't like upsetting Jaromira. And she really, really is not a sociopath. If I say, I have reason to believe his judgement was addled at the time, I know what caused it, it is no longer a factor, and the whole situation is intensely private, will that satisfy you?"

[from_scratch]

"It'll cause me to develop interest in other priorities first, I suppose."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

She bites her lip. "Will you let me know when you get that far down the list so I can tell you the rest of it and hope that convinces you? If you kill Kanimir Jaromira will be heartbroken."

[from_scratch]

"Who said anything about killing him? For all I know vampires are as immortal as I am. If, after I have saved the bees and terraformed Mars and so on, I get down to wondering about Kanimir's inappropriate entertainments, step one is 'learn about the situation'."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

She relaxes. "Good. I'm sorry, it's just, most people who decide a vampire is a problem that needs to be solved default to killing them. I had no particular reason to expect you to be different. So how are you planning on saving the bees, I didn't even know they needed saving. And you might want to be careful about Mars, I think it has natives."

[from_scratch]

"Oh, great. I finally get summoned unbound and Mars has natives. Does Titan have natives? I could also do Titan. Anyway, maybe your bees don't need saving just like your Mars doesn't need colonizing, but on my world nowish bees were getting sick in alarming numbers and it was a bit of a problem for a while."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"I don't know if Titan has natives. If they do they don't come to Earth as often as Martians do, I've never met one. I'd check first if at all possible. I'm still curious how you intend to manage all this."

[from_scratch]

"Remember how I appeared the spare tire out of nowhere and also how I'm from the future? These facts combine really well."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Ooh. So you have arbitrary creating things powers and also future technology to make. That's awesome."

[from_scratch]

"I know, right? I'm excited."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"The Martians live underground, so you could probably still terraform it so long as you talk to them first. Most of the ones who come to Earth do so because 'the surface of the planet doesn't kill you' is a pleasant novelty."

[from_scratch]

"Huh. What about it kills them?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Well, there's not enough air, for one thing. I think Mars actually used to be more Earthlike and the Martians hadn't developed space travel when it started getting like it currently is so they moved to sealed underground environments instead of Earth."

[from_scratch]

"Oh. So maybe terraforming it is still on the table, but now it will involve a complex diplomacy project. I'll probably want to at least practice on Titan first."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"After checking for Titanians."

[from_scratch]

"Yes, yes, I will check now I know you have intrasolar aliens. What else have you got besides Martians, vampires, gremlins, fairies that probably aren't the kind I'm used to, demons that definitely aren't the kind I'm used to, and humans?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Werewolves, swamp things, ghosts, and honestly I don't think there's anything I for sure and certain could tell you doesn't exist."

[from_scratch]

"Well, that's all very exciting. Is there a known explanation of any kind for why you're a Stuff Magnet?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"...We think it might have something to do with the private thing I mentioned earlier."

[from_scratch]

"Okay."