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]

"It appears that animalcules have been a fruitful avenue of research for you, if you've studied them enough to have different types."

She steeples her hands.

"... I've been following an alleged ritual practice of the New Lupinians by washing my instruments in purified alcohol and then water between surgeries. It appears to work, so far as I can tell. Does that also kill the animalcules, or have I just been lucky?"

[from_scratch]

"Alcohol's pretty good for it, yes, and it doesn't take high tech to distill all the animalcules out of naturally occurring water. Also peroxide, radiation, some other stuff."

[kaolinandbone]

"Radiation?"

[from_scratch]

"Remember I mentioned the part of sunshine that I thought might set vampires on fire but turns out not to? There are a lot of invisible light-like things like that and radiation is the general term and some kinds are really good at sterilizing stuff."

[kaolinandbone]

"I see. Does that mean that I could sterilize things by leaving them out in sunlight?"

She tilts her head.

"Come to think of it, that raises a rather interesting question - perhaps vampires have some form of animalcule? Oh, but we've eliminated 'ultraviolet' already."

[from_scratch]

"Sunlight doesn't produce really strong ultraviolet, or it would hurt humans, who are also pretty easy to kill with substantial quantities of many forms of radiation. Aaaand I don't think a kind of animalcule would explain you catching fire. There are conditions which cause extreme sensitivity to light but not literally catching fire."

[kaolinandbone]

"It would explain the transmissability... but then again, vampirism doesn't exactly work like a disease. You have to will it. So it is a strange animalcule indeed, if it is one."

[from_scratch]

"Yeah, animalcule-based disease transmission has no clear mechanism by which it could matter if you willed something."

[kaolinandbone]

"That said, Memni exist in this world, so perhaps will plays a larger role in my local physics than yours."

She shrugs.

"So, since it has been determined that you'll be staying with me for some time - would you like me to provide a room for you?"

[from_scratch]

"Probably more convenient than me skulking around the halls at all hours of the day, although since I wasn't planning to sleep it's not urgent."

[kaolinandbone]

"I would imagine skulking constantly would become tiring after a while."

She opens another door, producing another empty room, this one of middling size with a window.

"Go ahead, work your magic."

[from_scratch]

"Apart from not damaging the existing walls I can decorate as I like?"

[kaolinandbone]

"No-one other than me and mine will ever see this room, so feel free to generate as many otherworldly things as you like."

[from_scratch]

"Cool."

Cam has fairly conservative decorative tastes, but he puts in a nice abstract-patterned rug and nice curtains and a hammock, and a big-screen TV/monitor (to which he attaches the computer he's holding) flanked by a pair of speakers, and a chair with a squooshy back suitably for comfortably sitting in while winged.

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella raises an eyebrow. "No bookcases?"

[from_scratch]

"My books are all on here," says Cam, pointing at his computer. "I mean, except the ones you gave me, which I am going to read and then put back in their library. I can always add a case if I acquire a permanent family of physical books."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella tilts her head.

"I see. I suppose I haven't fully appreciated the usefulness of conjuring arbitrary things when you need them yet."

[from_scratch]

"What's the garbage disposal situation?"

[kaolinandbone]

"We have a massive, uninhabited forest outside one of our doors. I'm sure we can find somewhere appropriate."

[from_scratch]

"Eugh, I don't like the idea of dumping in the forest. A real one, even, not just a list of five species somebody grew to liven up a place. I guess there isn't necessarily a better option."

[kaolinandbone]

"Where would you prefer to dump things, then?"

[from_scratch]

"At home I have a tiny black hole. Impractical on a planet. I guess I could make a little pit digging robot to dig a pit in your forest and then at least the footprint wouldn't be too huge."

[kaolinandbone]

"... Alright then?"

[from_scratch]

"Do you have other uses for a pit digging robot after it has made a small landfill?"

[kaolinandbone]

"Well, I suppose it could dig basements for houses, or some such thing."