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

[aestrix]

"True, but- I'm trying very hard not to assume? I don't know how any of your various species and pointy ears affect your lifespans. She could just look young and be a hundred years old," points out Adarin. "I, for example, am 46. Most people think I'm 18 or 19."

[alicornucopia]

"Oh, no, Saasnil's a human, she's twelve," Korulen says. "I'm forty-two, but that's fourteen in human equivalency."

[aestrix]

"Aha. Then humans are a convenient measuring point," replies Adarin. He's starting to get something of a hang of this world! Sort of. "But you see, that's the sort of thing that I wouldn't have known. I wouldn't have guessed you were nearly my age."

[alicornucopia]

"...For that matter, how long are years in your world?" asks Korulen.

[aestrix]

"That would depend on which of 'my' two worlds you're speaking of. The original that we still measure by is about four-hundred days long. Four-hundred and thirteen, if you want to be truly specific. The other, we're still not entirely sure. We have yet to measure even how long a day is."

[alicornucopia]

"Ours are four hundred twelve days. Do you have a sense of how long a day here is?" Korulen asks, heading for the lift.

[aestrix]

"I haven't the slightest idea. I made a clock, but I haven't spent long enough studying it in order to know how long each measurement is," he replies, following. He's only a little wary about the lift, and moves to put a hand on the wall for bracing. He is determined to not almost fall over again.

[alicornucopia]

"Front hall," Korulen tells the lift. It moves backwards. "Our years are broken up into eight months," she adds.

[aestrix]

"We have sixteen. Weeks are measured in fives. The thirteen extra days technically don't fall under a month and are a time all of their own. It's customary to throw huge, lavish parties during this time," he explains, smiling a little. He's surprised when the lift moves backwards, but he handles it reasonably well enough. These people seriously need stairs.

[alicornucopia]

"We have seven-day weeks. And eight days that aren't in months but are in weeks, between each pair of months. They're sort of low-level holidays, but not huge lavish party type holidays." The lift descends.

[aestrix]

Adarin snickers, just a little. "Apparently someone on my world decided not to break up the parties. They wanted all of them, all at once."

[alicornucopia]

"It sounds like fun," offers Korulen with a tentative smile. The lift door opens to a large hall, and Korulen steps out to cross it.

[aestrix]

"It can be, but it can also get tiring. It's supposed to be a time of forgiveness towards enemies, new renewals, new chances - and so on. But the parties do grate after a while. Usually everyone's glad when it's over and they can just relax for a little while," explains Adarin, following after her. He has no idea where the shops are, so he's happy to follow her.

[alicornucopia]

"You can't fly, can you?" she asks.

[aestrix]

"No, I can't. Perhaps for extremely short distances, but I would over-exert myself soon enough, after the scrying spell and the clock. Neither were particularly small," explains Adarin.

[alicornucopia]

"And I probably can't carry you either. Okay, I guess we're walking." She lets them out of the building. The surrounding area is flat, grassy, and marked with a flagstone path from them to a metropolis with a well-defined border perhaps a mile ahead.

[aestrix]

"It... Seems like it would be insulting for you to carry me? Even in your other form. To you, I mean. You're not a beast of burden or something," says Adarin, heading along the path.

[alicornucopia]

"Well, I can't anyway, I'm too little. Mom could. And you can't fly, so it would be faster that way; I don't see how wasting time walking is less insulting."

[aestrix]

"True. I suppose my perspective's strange. I'm used to everyone being extremely concerned about never lowering themselves to less than what they deserve, even if it would be more practical for everyone."

[alicornucopia]

"I mean, I'll say no if a toddler goes up to me in the street and asks for a ride, sometime when I'm more obviously a thudia than I am right now. But that's mostly because I don't have a saddle and it'd be a distraction from whatever I was doing."

[aestrix]

"That makes sense. It's a nice change, is what I meant," he says, somewhat amused. "This is a surprisingly nice place. If it were more viable and not... Potentially problematic, I'd try and get people from my home to move here."

[alicornucopia]

"What would be problematic about it?" asks Korulen. "I mean on your end - it'd be hard to scale up the summonings on our end, and if there were more of you I bet it'd get legally complicated, but it sounds like you had another problem in mind."

[aestrix]

"Honestly? Most of them would probably get together and then proceed to try to take over a country," explains Adarin. This is maybe a problem he's dealing with at home! Yay. "Not all of them, mind you, but many. They're in something of a desperate place right now and anything looks better than where they are."

[alicornucopia]

"Oh. Well, they wouldn't get far in Esmaar," she remarks. "There's wards on everything and tons of wizards. Plus, you know, Mom."

[aestrix]

"I never said it was a decision I supported. I doubt they would get far past 'wards.' If one of those was what was keeping me in the circle, then they wouldn't get anywhere," muses Adarin.