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

[gloriousdawn]

"No," says Solvei.

[unmarred]

"Something is wrong here and I am not at all sure what it is," says Mark.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yeah, that was a..." Miles trails off with a frown.

"Yeah," says Stalas.

Mial doesn't say anything, but he also frowns.

[isthisart]

"...Is it possible we can help? If your outfit is anything to go by Nexus has you beat on technology and we've also got some varyingly portable magic."

[gloriousdawn]

"Varyingly portable magic?"

[isthisart]

"Another alt of Miles, who inconveniently was five and embarrassingly had an adopted sister who was my alt, came from a universe similar to ours but with magic. We have acquired textbooks on it. Elcenia also has a lot of magic, although accessibility is awkward given the situation with the door - I do get the impression that you could get a fair amount done with it as long as none of it needed to be performed or sustained outside of Elcenia, though."

[gloriousdawn]

"Okay, colour me intrigued."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I'm a wizard," volunteers Mial.

[gloriousdawn]

"Yeah? How's that working out for you?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Pretty well!"

[unmarred]

"There must be some way to—right, I'm sorry, but it has to be done," says Mark. And he puts on Miles.

[thisvorlunatic]

"I know this alts thing seems crazy," says Mark-as-Miles, "but it's completely legitimate. Witness the evidence that I, for multiple values of I, am an alt of you, for corresponding values of you."

The actual Miles looks pained but doesn't voice an objection.

[unmarred]

"So," says Mark, reverting to his standard self, "you can stop acting like we might try to kill you at any moment."

[middlingalong]

"...Why would we kill her? Who even does that, kills random girls from other universes who stumble into bars?"

[gloriousdawn]

"I have not been acting like that!" says Solvei.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Has she been acting like that?" says Miles, somewhat disquieted.

[unmarred]

"As though deep in enemy territory with next to nothing in the way of allies," says Mark.

[gloriousdawn]

"Your fucking outside view," mutters Solvei.

[unmarred]

"...Have you not met your—you?"

[gloriousdawn]

"She's been dead for two centuries, so not as such, no."

[thisvorlunatic]

"...Wait, if that's so, then how... do you..." Stalas waves his hands vaguely.

[isthisart]

"Are you doing a convincing Solvei impression based solely on historical records? If you haven't met I assume the solution to the puzzle isn't 'you're immortal for some reason'..."

[gloriousdawn]

"I believe I've mentioned objecting to that interpretation," says Solvei.

[unmarred]

"Perhaps you could explain just what it is you object to," says Mark.

[gloriousdawn]

"I'm not a 'convincing Solvei impression' any more than you're a convincing Mark impression."