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]

"This sounds like kind of a political complication," remarks Keo. "I'm not sure we ought to enable it on our own recognizance."

[taytahn]

"More so than people knowing how to do it your way? And – if I leave this book here when I go home, how likely are political complications to follow me?"

She is taking a risk here, omitting details about how one goes about not leaving a book to be followed through, but the mention of political complications has put her back on edge.

[alicornucopia]

"There are already systems set up to handle the way that already exists here," Keo points out. "We'd return this book where it came from when you left, we wouldn't want to permanently deprive you of it."

[taytahn]

That... sounds plausible. Maybe enough so that the risk of seeming hostile outweighs the risk of trusting them.

"Would those systems object to you bringing me back in about half an hour, after I've had a chance to explain things to my husband? I am interested in talking about this – if it's not a terrible imposition on your time, that is – but I don't want him to worry."

[alicornucopia]

"The idea being that you use the book to go home, we unsummon it, and then we resummon you with a better spell than the one the girls used in - I'm sorry, how long is an hour?"

[taytahn]

She knows better than to assume that the days are the same length here. "About... five or ten times as long as I've been here so far."

[alicornucopia]

"So in about an angle, we resummon you? We can do that."

[taytahn]

"I'll see you then."

She places the book open on the floor, touches the moving image, and fades away.

[alicornucopia]

The book goes back whence it came a moment later.

A new diagram is drawn. It lies dormant for an angle, and then Kanaat casts the spell.

[taytahn]

The visitor reappears, smiling and holding a slimmer book than the one before. "That was about an hour, by the way. I brought a pocket watch if you want to work out the exact conversion rate. Atrus certainly will, at some point."

[alicornucopia]

"Welcome back," says Keo, smudging the chalk again. "So what did you want to talk about exactly?"

[taytahn]

"I was hoping to learn more about the political complications and what might be done about them. I'm Katran, by the way, I don't think we've been properly introduced." She holds out a hand.

[alicornucopia]

"Keo, and this is my husband Kanaat," says Keo, shaking her hand. "The country we live in is called Esmaar, and introducing one or more new political units into the sphere of their diplomatic tasks will probably be some combination of annoying and exciting for them, depending on what your homeworld is like."

[taytahn]

"My homeworld is – destroyed. My current home is just me and Atrus, as far as we know, unless you include the other worlds we're in contact with.

"As far as potential diplomatic concerns... there are the survivors of Riven, in Tay; the survivors of D'ni, in Releeshahn; the survivors of Terahnee; the natives of Earth; the natives of Averone; I don't know if there are any survivors of Channelwood..."

[alicornucopia]

"...This sounds like a complicated history lesson."

[taytahn]

"History tends to be complicated."

[alicornucopia]

"I suppose so."