well-behaved doors

[campanas]

Pen' was just going to go practice singing. (She likes singing. The words are all lined up for her already and she doesn't get them wrong.) But this doesn't look like the practice room. So it's probably the magic restaurant.

Pen knows about the magic restaurant! You can go in it, and get food or things to drink (she has bracelets!) and then you just go back out the door and it's been no time at all and you're right where you went in.

She goes in. She is going to have cake.

Comments

[beheld_beauty]

"My world doesn't have any dragons, actually," says Rose. "Pen', come back over here, don't frighten them."

[campanas]

"I not frightening! Am eight, have no squares, is silly."

[aestrix]

What?! two babies pronounce at once, upon Rose's explanation of 'No dragons.' Ilayse is busy trying to get out from the tyranny of her brother's wing.

No dragons?! says Yvae, staring with big eyes. But- But... That's crazy!

The sibling not currently buried under another nods along to this statement. Crazy talk. No dragons? Crazy. There are lots of dragons. Everywhere!

Ilayse is the one to notice Pen's strange sentence. Why would we be afraid of squares? They're just shapes.

[beheld_beauty]

"Come out regardless," Rose tells Pen firmly.

[campanas]

Pen drags her feathers. "Squares do magic," she says over her shoulder. "And most places not having dragons! My world either. Is only Chronicle and world can't pronounce name."

[aestrix]

All hatchlings present make a little sad sound at Pen's explanation! It's synchronized.

But what do you do without dragons? asks Pyranir. Who flies and gathers shinies and does magic?

Squares do magic, doofus, says Yvae, acting like she knew that forever and didn't learn it five seconds ago. Apparently. Why do squares do magic?

[campanas]

"Angels fly, in Samaria," says Pen, no longer crowding the shier babies. "Mommies do magic, mostly, and daddies, and when I grown up enough also me. Squares kind of coins! Triangles too but only do tiny little magic. Some shiny."

[aestrix]

My mommy and daddy do magic, too! pronounces Yvae, sounding like this is the only sane thing in the world. Daddy is sometimes a human and he goes and comes back and tells us stories - and then he makes lightshows and then mommy looks at him like there's no one else in the room and then we get shooed.

Procellor snorts with laughter.

Why is that funny? Yvae asks, confused.

Daddy's weird sometimes, replies Ilayse. Remember? He turns into a human!

Oh, right replies her sister. She goes over and nuzzles her father. It's okay, daddy, we love you even if you're weird sometimes.

Amused, her father replies with a solemn, Thank you.

[campanas]

"My daddy a human. I think all the time. Other ones of him other things, some, though!"

[beheld_beauty]

"The worlds are all different in a variety of ways - their kinds of people and kinds of magic and languages and histories and geography and other quirks. You are actually here because your parents would like me to do a bit of magic to the three of you."

[aestrix]

What kind of magic? asks Pyranir. I can already fly and do some tricks! I'd show you, but mommy says I shouldn't until I'm older and they're ready to 'teach me properly.'

Ilayse is going to reply to Pen, even if her siblings aren't. Does he like being a human? It must be terrible to not fly! Ever!

[beheld_beauty]

"The kind of magic in question would make you all immortal."

[campanas]

"Daddy must like human being, I guess. He fly too like Rose! But is secret on Samaria."

[aestrix]

Yvae and Pyranir look at Rose incredulously. You can do that? asks Yvae, looking up at Rose with big eyes.

Ilayse looks between her mommy and Rose, a little frightened of immortality bestowing magic humans, then she looks at Pen. Why is it a secret? Flying is so fun!

She flaps her little wings, just to demonstrate.

[beheld_beauty]

"Yes. But I can't undo it, so I have to make sure I'm careful about who I give it to."

[campanas]

"I know is fun!" says Pen, flapping back. "Is secret because he a mortal not angel, so, Samarians not know he flying. Goes somewhere, or be invisible, first."

[aestrix]

Pyranir looks at Rose a little challengingly. He scrunches himself up to a slightly taller height to look intimidating. If I could give immortality, I'd give it to everybody! In the whole wide world. Even humans and - and rabbits because I don't like it when we have them for dinner! They're too cute!

Yvae is content to stare up at Rose with big eyes. Maaaagic human.

Ilayse giggles a little, and jumps just a bit, flapping her wings some more. She wants to fly. So he can't just fly whenever he wants? That's terrible!

[campanas]

"He can fly whenever he wants!" says Pen, a little more coherent with a sentence to copy in her recent memory. "Just not while people looking."

[beheld_beauty]

"I can only do it one person at a time," says Rose. "I would like to do it for everybody, but everybody is so very many billions of people in so very many complicated worlds. Before I give it to someone I need to know what will happen. Both what the person will do with it - if someone who was immortal got into a fight with someone who was not, they could use that to hurt the person who was not much worse than they could otherwise - and what will happen to the person. Someone who is immortal can still be trapped or hurt, and this can go on much longer if they are immortal than if they are not. I try to make sure that the people who I make immortal are harmless to others, and will have a way to ask for help, if they get stuck somehow."

[aestrix]

Ooooh, says Pyranir, deflating a little from his tiny fury.

Did you make mommy and daddy immortal, too? asks Yvae. Obviously this would be the first thing Rose would do, right? .... Right?

Ilayse is absorbed in the conversation with Pen. But if he can't fly with people looking, then he can't fly whenever he wants!

[beheld_beauty]

"I haven't," says Rose. "I don't have any way to keep an eye on your world, right now."

[campanas]

"Can! Be invisible and nobody looking, poof."

[aestrix]

Yvae is now going to break out the super adorable hatchling face. She scoots closer to Rose and looks up at her with huge, adorable eyes.

Will you please make mommy and daddy immortal, too? she asks, complete with a sad face.

Procellor nudges Yvae a little. It's okay, little one. We love you all, you three should get it first.

He doesn't add 'If she's going to at all' but, well. He's not breaking his daughter's heart like that.

Ilayse nods, a little. Ooooh. That makes sense! But how will he show other people his tricks? I like showing off how I can fly!

[campanas]

"He show people not Samarian. Others of him mostly. Daddies like more of daddies."

[beheld_beauty]

"That's what I'm deciding now," says Rose. "I want to, but right now my friend who keeps an eye on worlds for us doesn't have any eyes in your world. If I made you immortal and you got stuck somewhere, that would be terrible. If I made you immortal and you grew up and used that to do bad things to people who weren't immortal because I wasn't looking out for the rest of your world, that would also be terrible. I'm trying to find out if it's safe to immortalize you first out of everyone in your world, before having a foothold in the world so I can fix any problems that come up after that."