why is there a word for that

[alicornucopia]

Finnah's just arrived at work to open the store for the morning shift; she has her apron on but hasn't put her hair up yet. She lets in the customer who always takes half an angle to determine that he wants four buttercreams, again, and then nips into the back to tend to her hair and check the overnight progress of the rock candy.

This isn't the back.

But that -

No, he's too tall to be Mial, if this is a Mial prank it's a stupidly elaborate one.

"Okay, I give up," she says, "what the hell?"

Comments

[greatcomposure]

"Yes?"

[middlingalong]

"Mial is having a breakdown come back to the candy shop Uncle Avar too please."

[greatcomposure]

"...Will do."

Barely a tick later, Koridaar and Avar appear.

[on_my_word]

"What's going on?"

[middlingalong]

"Just - come in."

Aurin ushers them all three inside and shuts the door.

He gestures helplessly at Mial.

[on_my_word]

"...This does not," says Avar, "exactly answer my question..."

[greatcomposure]

Koridaar hurries to where Mark is hugging Mial, and does some hugging of her own.

[isthisart]

Linya produces the explanatory pen messages and goes over to display them for Avar and Finnah.

"Holy fucking hell," says Finnah. And she goes and hugs Mial too, as best she can.

[thisvorlunatic]

Mial is extremely hugged.

"Thanks," he sniffles.

[on_my_word]

"Oh, dear..." murmurs Avar, looking pained.

[middlingalong]

"I know," says Aurin, also pained and in similar ways.

[on_my_word]

He goes over to the Mial hugpile.

"I don't know what to say... I wish you could just have the damn word," he says. "You more than deserve it."

[thisvorlunatic]

Mial sniffles.

[alicornucopia]

"Look," says Finnah, "are there or are there not bloody miracle-workers running around on our planet?"

[on_my_word]

"There are," says Avar, encouraging this line of reasoning since Mial doesn't seem to be up to words of any kind just now. "You've met some, I believe."

[alicornucopia]

"And they left a communication crystal. It is very premature to be a weepy lump."

[unmarred]

[thisvorlunatic]

"It caught me off-guard," says Mial, slightly muffled by hug. "I wasn't thinking - but look, what if they can't - or what if they can't without changing all of Draconic, which I just got done telling my alt he couldn't do—" Sniffle.

[alicornucopia]

"You haven't asked yet!" says Finnah. "They're miracle workers!"

[thisvorlunatic]

"If they can't do it without changing Draconic for everyone then having to decide whether or not to ask them might actually kill me," Mial whispers.

[alicornucopia]

Finnah hugs him harder.

[thisvorlunatic]

Hugs. Yes. Those. Good. Hugs are good.

[alicornucopia]

Aurin starts pacing. Then he stops and sits back down, head in his hands.

[unmarred]

Mark hugs Mial and thinks inscrutable Mark thoughts.

(With the right push, he could get Mial going. Straight out the door to demand himself a miracle come hell or high water. And then if they couldn't deliver—well. That would end badly. Mark, personally, does not at this point give a flying shit about the sanctity of Draconic, but he cares very much about Mial's emotional stability.)

[alicornucopia]

"I could go ask instead," Finnah says. "If that would be better."