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]

"Yeah. But - if she's alive she's incredibly damaged, somewhere," says Narax.

[ending_of]

"That is not a problem within my power to solve."

[alicornucopia]

"Right. Well, I'm going to be busy for a while, and Keo, when I find her -"

"Of course," says Keo.

Narax teleports away.

[ending_of]

[alicornucopia]

Meanwhile, in the library, Kaylo is FURIOUSLY INVENTING.

[lookingforwardtoit]

Eights wanders in.

...The FURIOUS INVENTION is kind of a spectacle.

[alicornucopia]

It kind of is!

He notices her when he's switching between reference volumes. "What?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

She doesn't speak the local language, but she can guess what he meant. "Sorry, it's just kind of amazing how intense you're getting with those books," she says, in... the same language the admin was speaking.

[alicornucopia]

"Well, while I get to do theoretically revolutionary things on a pretty regular basis this is special - where did you pick up this language?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"It's my native language, actually, where did you?"

[alicornucopia]

"I'm a dragon," says Kaylo. "Just how many offworlders did Korulen summon?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Not sure who that is. Keo's the one who grabbed me," she says.

[alicornucopia]

"Keo did? Why?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"To get a local opinion on Downside, I guess. What're you busy revolutionizing?"

[alicornucopia]

"...I'm inventing the summoning circle to allow stable traffic from here to there. You're from it?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"I am from it!" she confirms. "You must be Kaylo. Admin said she found you charming. What's your secret?"

[alicornucopia]

"...I don't know that I've actually been called charming in recent memory, so I have no idea. I was looking for Korulen because she used to live in that room and instead there was a person in a circle and she wanted my input on dragon related things and I said I would invent this thing. Also I need to talk to a Sand Dusk Chanter, which I'm not looking forward to, because the library doesn't have any decent references on their little culty spells."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Little culty spells?"

[alicornucopia]

"They worship the source of wizard magic, only - you called her the admin? I didn't catch her name - anyway she says it's actually aware, might want to talk to it, and while I think considering it a deity is still ridiculous the Chanters are the state of the art in making it say anything. I'll probably have to invent more on top of that but at least I can try to build on whatever they've groped their way towards in the blinding light of being a cult."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"I'm not sure she actually has a name," says Eights. "You are really aggrieved about these cult guys, huh?"

[alicornucopia]

"Religion in general is irritating, Chanters in particular get on my nerves because they're pretending to be academic and drive perfectly good class discussions off the rails."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"We don't get a whole lot of religion Downside. Not none, but not much."

[alicornucopia]

"Got all kinds of it here, and they'll run around out of their minds about it when they hear you exist."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Fun and excitement," she says dryly. "They'll get used to it. Everybody does. Although I guess this'll be the first time this many people have had to get used to it at once."

[alicornucopia]

"Don't tend to get billions of newbies at once?" he asks wryly, crossing something out and flipping to a chart in the back of one of his books.