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]

"Okay. Thanks."

[aeskhyne]

He smiles.

[alicornucopia]

Leekath waves and off she goes.

[aeskhyne]

It occurs to him that he didn't get her name, but - well, whatever. Back to the blanket. The blanket is his friend. Its poofiness is without mystery.

[alicornucopia]

A while later, Korulen knocks.

[aeskhyne]

"Hi!" he says when he opens the door. "You are the summony girl."

[alicornucopia]

"...Did someone already give you a translation spell?" asks Korulen. "Mom told me I'd have to."

[aeskhyne]

"This vampire girl came and tried to talk to me, but I couldn't understand her, so she went away and came back and cast a translation spell and then she told me I'd made her a little paper thing, which I didn't," he says. "And she wanted to know why and I said I didn't know 'cause I didn't do it and then she went away."

[alicornucopia]

"...That's very strange. Anyhow. I'm a little later than I thought I was going to be because the evening edition of the paper was unexpectedly interesting but we can go shopping now."

[aeskhyne]

"Why, what happened?"

[alicornucopia]

"Bunch of things. People all over the world are claiming things have happened that have no explanation. Lights healing themselves, shrens being cured en masse, people being able to change sex without spells."

[aeskhyne]

"...I totally brought my world's magic with me," he says. "Sorry. But not actually sorry because my world's magic is pretty great. What's a shren?"

[alicornucopia]

"It's - well, it was - like a dragon except unable to fly."

[aeskhyne]

"That sounds like it kinda sucks," he says. "'Was' because... they're all cured now?"

[alicornucopia]

"Yeah, all of 'em. It's especially good for the babies, because if they didn't fly it hurt them, but they can't learn to shapeshift until they're twenty."

[aeskhyne]

"No wonder somebody was wishing to fix it."

[alicornucopia]

"Yeah, I guess that's how. How does the magic work exactly?"

[aeskhyne]

"You wish or pray for something, and maybe you get it. Or maybe you don't. Or maybe you get it and a half a ton of jelly beans as a bonus. People have tried to figure out why some prayers are answered and some aren't, but so far all we know is that prayers mostly get answered for a few hours at a time and then nothing for the rest of the day. But sometimes there's stray ones. Really obvious stray ones, too, half-ton-of-jellybeans obvious, not just 'I wished I'd win this race and then I did'. Oh, and it matters who you're praying to. Probably. Sort of. Nobody's sure how. Praying to 'whatever does the magic' definitely works as much as anything ever does, though, so it's not that important to figure out the details."

[alicornucopia]

"That's weird."

[aeskhyne]

"You think?" he says, grinning.

[alicornucopia]

"Yeah. So - entrance hall! - what do you need?" The lift trundles towards the entrance hall.

[aeskhyne]

"...Things? I dunno. What do people usually bring to their dorm rooms that isn't already there?"

[alicornucopia]

"Sheets and toiletries and books and stuff."

[aeskhyne]

"Sheets do sound useful," he concedes. "Sheets and toiletries. And maybe some stuff."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay. Oh, and clothes, I guess."