chalk

[alicornucopia]

In Paraasilan, Esmaar, a pair of roommates are about to break a rule that, compared to the one about running in the corridors or even the one about unlicensed teleportation, is there for a good reason.

In unison, they complete their shared spell.

~~~

with Adarin (Aestrix)

with Ekador (kappa)

with Brilliance (kappa)

with the admin (kappa)

with Teah (kappa)

with Katran (lambda)

with Hall (kappa)

with Joy (kappa)

with Kalinda (Christy Hotwater)

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"Yes. In particular, while my daughter will be able to send your administrator back soon, she does not actually have to do so on any particularly constraining schedule," says Keo with a tight smile. "She's in a very convenient place to receive complaints, right now."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"...You have the admin locked up somewhere in your live world?" she says incredulously. "Wow. I am impressed and a little frightened. What's she like?"

[alicornucopia]

"...Indifferent," Keo says. "Not very helpful, although plausibly she's just far enough removed from the motivations behind my questions that she really didn't know how to answer them usefully."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"I'd buy that," says the woman on the desk. "I've never met anyone who'll admit to having seen her. I don't think even most judges have seen her, although supposedly she appointed the most senior ones herself. All most people know about her, if they know anything about her, is that she spends all her time at the top of the Tower and it's a bad idea to try to get her attention. But it's the judges who come down on you for it, even then."

[alicornucopia]

"Well, if you want to talk to her, we could summon you for a visit," remarks Keo.

[lookingforwardtoit]

"...Tempted," she says. "Could go horribly wrong, but since when do I let that stop me?"

[alicornucopia]

"I don't think she can get out of the ward she's in, but she can apparently do at least 'adding the world to the afterlife' through it, and possibly other things. And of course it would be hard to keep her forever."

[lookingforwardtoit]

She grins. "Whatever. There is a limit to how bad it could possibly be. So how's this summoning thing work?"

[alicornucopia]

"My husband and I draw a diagram on the floor of his office, one of us casts a spell, you appear in the diagram and we let you out. Assuming it's safe to let you out, which I may as well figure out here instead of there."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"And you figure that out by...?"

[alicornucopia]

"Well, part of the reason most people don't use summoning spells is that they don't have a good way to do it, but I have copious amounts of mind magic, I can check if you care to let me. I won't pick up on anything I'm not looking for and I won't change anything unless you ask me."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"...Copious mind magic. Okay then," she says. "Sure, go ahead."

[alicornucopia]

Keo checks.

"You check out, and a heck of a lot less ambiguously than the administrator did - that's why she's still in the ward, that and she doesn't seem to care and claims not to need food or anything. Want to visit Elcenia?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Sure! Just gimme a minute to find somebody to cover the desk," she says, hopping off it and heading for a door in the wall behind her that turns out to lead to a hallway.

[alicornucopia]

Keo hangs out. Back in Elcenia, Kanaat starts drawing the circle.

[lookingforwardtoit]

About half a minute later, the as-yet-unnamed Downsider returns, followed by a shorter man wearing an enormous comfy sweater.

"All set!" she says.

[finaldiscussion]

Meanwhile, the man looks at Keo and... pauses.

[alicornucopia]

"The circle will take a bit longer," she informs Eights. "What are you looking at?" she inquires of the man.

[finaldiscussion]

"Evidence seems to suggest that you aren't dead," he says. "It's very curious."

[alicornucopia]

"She didn't believe me at first," Keo says, pointing at Eights. "Did she tell you or what?"

[finaldiscussion]

"If she had told me, I would not be so surprised," he says. "No, it's the... accumulation of details. You don't know Eights's name, so you are new, but you cannot be that new and have scars that old, however small and insignificant. And your hair is naturally green. That's not evidence that you're live, particularly, but it is evidence that you're strange in some way."

[alicornucopia]

"The hair comes of being a dragon," says Keo.

[finaldiscussion]

"Does it."

[alicornucopia]

"Yes..." She glances around. "Not really room enough in here to show off, but I can do this..."

And she turns into a green mouse, runs in a little circle, and turns back into a human.

[finaldiscussion]

"Curious," he says again.