21 Lage 4385: Sleeth!

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

21 Lage 4385

Dear Boom-vroom-to-a-moon:

I didn't go to a play or a puppet show yesterday. I forgot I was even thinking of going to a play or a puppet show until I opened the scroll and saw that was the last thing I wrote. I did get your scroll posted though, so you should be able to read this soon. Or in a week or something I forget how long parcel post takes to deliver. It's not like you can send an enchantment by leaf and have it there in an hour!

Wouldn't that be cool if you could, though? But the gods'd never go for it. "Here" would go for just sending it direct but if it were a permanent service like the post it'd attract extra-dimensional monsters who'd rip through the new weak point in the fabric of space that you'd made because we've already got as many teleport gates as we can manage in Ketheria. Or possibly a few more then we could manage. Don't worry "Here"! I still love you even if using your powers of awesomeness does mean the occasional alien horror from outside the universe comes through to rampage across the branch inflicting untold suffering upon Prime and monster alike.

Don't look at me like that, Boomsy. You know how the gods are, if it wasn't alien horrors from outside the universe they'd just make native horrors from inside the universe to torment us. It's not like we can actually be safe or anything.

Anyway. Where was I? Right, yesterday!

I tried to wake up my roommate who-used-to-be-GloriousBlue-but-might-be-Terrycloth-now? because we live together, it wouldn't kill us to spend an afternoon doing something or maybe just saying "hallo" to each other when we're both conscious.

Me: Wakey-shakey, Terry-Berry! It's the loverliest of loverly days! We should see a puppet show! Or go for a swim at the pond!
GloriousBlue-or-maybe-Terrycloth: Mrphle.
Me: No, not a burrow beneath blankets! A wading in water! A performance with puppets!
GloriousBlue-or-maybe-Terrycloth: Grrrrrg-mumble-dn't-you-work?
Me: Not a bit! I am a free Orren today! You too are free today, at least until tonight. Do not squander your precious freedom on mere sleep, Glory-More-y! There's so much else you could do.
GloriousBlue-or-maybe-Terrycloth: Raaarrggg I work.
Me: But ....
GloriousBlue-or-maybe-Terrycloth: RARG! SLEEP GOOD!

Which come to think of it there's really no arguing with so I gave up and looked elsewhere for company.

I stopped by Wellsome House, but everyone was at work except Bitterroot who was packing for a visit to her home village. I helped her finish packing since I wasn't doing anything else and saw her off. Then I orrened over to Vheshrame Academy to see if any of my friends from the enchanting lab had already finished and/or blown their work for the week and therefore were free. Nope: Ferethlan was still enchanting and Naefar was on his way to Leap Through this Gate to the Doomsome Nendrai. I tried to get him to skip but he wouldn't just because he'd missed two classes already from Enchantment running long. Next I went to the Buttery and asked Studies-Too-Hard, but he was studying too hard with Tripriver.

Me [whining]: Why won't anyone dooooo anything with me?
Tripriver: Because it's the middle of the week and we all have work that needs to get done?
Me: You don't have to work! I'm not!
Studies-Too-Hard: Technically, I don't have to eat either. And yet I still choose to!
Me: I don't see what that has to do with studying.
Studies-Too-Hard: That would explain why you're not working. And broke.
Me: I'm not broke! I've got my wages and tips from yesterday.
Studies-Too-Hard: And when that runs out? In, what, three days? Two?
Me: That's days away. I'll think of something by then.
Studies-Too-Hard: ...
Me: Come on, Study-Buddy, don't be a fuddy-duddy. That essay's not due until the end of the week. Even if you insist that you have to do it which you don't you certainly don't have to do it now. Wouldn't you rather be swimming in a clear cool slippery pond with me?
Studies-Too-Hard: ...
Tripriver: We have three other subjects to study for too. There's a spraddle due in Deepening Understanding of Painted Eggs. And a test in --
Me [looking at Studsy, who seemed to be weakening]: Pleeeeeeease?
Studies-Too-Hard: ... nng!
Tripriver: If you're so bored, Delight, why don't you ask the Sleeth to join you? He's not busy.
Me: There's a Sleeth at the Academy?
Tripriver: There is right now. Purrzhon.

She pointed to the courtyard outside the Buttery. A big deep green-black panther was lying with his eyes closed in a sunny spot atop a low wall in the courtyard outside the Buttery. He had a slender pattern of wavy pale green spirals running from his left cheek down his neck and along his side.

Me: Sure!

I slipped outside and over to the Sleeth, who pretended to be napping as I approached.

Me: Hiiiiii Purrzhon! I'm bored and you don't look busy. Would you like to go to a puppet show? There's a performance of The Gormorror, the Cani, and the Zi Ri that's supposed to be good.
Purrzhon [pretends to nap harder]
Me: Or swimming?
Purrzhon [slits open one eye]: I am the napping Sleeth in the sun, and the purple Orren thinks I am not the very busy? She thinks I leave my sun and my spot and my nap to swim?
Me: Sure, why not?

Purrzhon lifted his head. Sleeth have very large heads. He yawned ostentatiously, showing off lots of big sharp pointy teeth. "No. The Sleeth does not want to swim, or watch puppets. He plays Catch the Shimmery Purple Orren, however." He climbed to his feet atop the three-foot wall, looming over me dramatically.

Me: Yay!

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

But does the Sleeth play nice?

...and I'm not sneaking into your scroll-case. What happens if you tap three times?

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

I was just opening the scroll to finish saying and there you are again! If you're not sneaking into my scrollcase how are you writing on my scroll?

As for if I tap three times ... um.

... I don't know? I think I should get my own scroll again. I'll go check.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

I checked. If I tap the case three times, my scroll shows this journal that Sythyrs has been writing for, um, I don't know? Approximately forever? I didn't go all the way back. There was a WHOLE LOT of it.

That is so weird. I'm sure I didn't enchant it to do that. Not on purpose anyways.

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

"Here" apparently loves you quite a bit. The doom!

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

He does! How could that be bad? He's a god! Having a god love you has to be a good thing. All right maybe not if it's Birkonen but OTHERWISE it must be good.

... also, um, who are you? How are you reading my scroll? You're not Terrycloth having changed your name and disguised yourself as a monster or something right?

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

Perhaps my perspective is a little strange, but "Here" is very often doomsome; he rewards but seeks high costs. So, his interest may or may not be favorable.

And I go by Alex most of the time; a pleasure to meet you. I can assure you, I'm not Terrycloth, and I haven't changed my name lately. I might be a monster though; I haven't really figured that out. If I'm not, I suppose I'm an Orren, if that makes sense or comfort.

Further, isn't it more worrisome that I'm writing on your scroll then reading it?

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

Being an Orren is definitely better than being a monster! I don't see how you couldn't know if you were a monster or not though?

... and no it's really more worrisome that you're reading it than writing in it. If you could write in it without reading it than that would just mean I could read what you were writing which could be kind of cool depending on what you write about. That you can read it means that you can spy on (what I thought was) my private correspondence with Boomsy.

Actually it was nice of you to write in it so that now I know my private correspondence isn't actually private after all. Thanks!

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

Well, I could be a very addled Orren, or a very unconvincing boonstable; those would both let me not know if I were a monster. I suppose I could also be a politician, in which case it is also harder to tell. But no; I'm not quite any of those.

Simply put, I (and I suspect, a number of your new friends writing here) am not from the World Tree. Or at least, not at the moment from the World Tree. And that either makes me a terrible extradementional monster, or an alternate-dimensioned prime, depending on who you talk to. Though, if it's easier, you can simply think of me as an Orren; I have the ears for it.

And you're welcome! Though I also suspect that very few other denizens of the tree can read it without similar works of enchantment.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure being an alternate dimension Prime makes sense. I think you can be a non-terrible extra-dimensional nonprime, though. I don't think extradimensional entities necessarily have to be horrible. I'll ask my brother about it next time I see him.

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you're right; that sounds quite sensible to me. I'm most certainly not a prime of your world at present. I would likely have to speak to several deities about that if I wished to change it. None the less, I'd say that I'm my world's equivalent of a prime. Surprisingly broad category here, actually. So that would make me a non-terrible extra-dimensional alter-prime, perhaps? :3

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

So your gods made your world and then created your people to rule it? I guess I can see how that'd be like being a Prime-of-your-dimension. Sort of like in the Water Tree books.

Anyway it's nice to meet you Mr. Muridae!

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

That is a very, very, very long discussion, and one which will likely come up again. Suffice to say that the gods that made our world, if any, are very sneaky; they didn't take credit, don't show themselves, and don't interact with the world (at least publicly). Kinda like a Verb-god, except we don't know for sure if there are any at all. And where that leaves my status as prime-of-our-world is interesting...but this is getting to be a very long footnote commentary, so I shall hold that discussion for later.

And a pleasure once again to meet you.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

That must be very very strange not knowing who your gods are or what they're like at all! I'm sure you must have some though. How else would your world get there?

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

A question my people still ponder to this day, and one with many interesting aspects on all sides. Which is, of course, another way of saying that I could neep at you rather well for any Orren about it. Amusingly enough, the "how else" is often something along the lines of "we simply are", "something came before", or almost as often, "we can't tell, and as it changes nothing, why should we care?". I will say that it is indeed a little strange, especially when you have various cults and churches running around and proclaiming that their god is real and others gods aren't.

Our gods, if any, are very subtle in other ways; there are no elementals we've found (though some claim otherwise) and the world runs itself consistently on every level, without apparent need for guidance.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Booga booga booga. I have followed this link and I see letters and a sprinkling of comments. I hope that you don't mind as more of us strangers may appear.

I am not a Zi Ri, though my image might suggest it... more of the height of a Herethroy.

That should sufficiently boggle your mind. ^.^

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

Eee, more of you!

Well, um, hi? Sythyrs said this happened to zir and zie survived more than a hundred years of it so I guess it's safe?

... you're like a ginourmous Zi Ri? Really?

[zeeth_kyrah]

Well, it's a reasonably close analogy to how I see myself.

I'm about as Prime as you are, but from a different world entirely. So an entirely different set of Prime species.

And I don't breathe fire. Instead, my breath makes people healthier. Well, except when I haven't brushed my teeth. Then it makes them wrinkle their noses and make funny faces. ;)

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

So you breathe He Co instead of Cr Py? Wow.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Mmm, I'd say Healoc Spiridor, actually, with minor crosses into Corpador because a healthy spirit leads to a healthier body.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

... do spirits get hurt a lot where you come from?

[zeeth_kyrah]

Anything that hurts a person can hurt their spirit, including a bad environment over time. So I find myself giving a little every day to make things better for them.

Of course, what I can easily give is different from what happens when I actually work at it.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh your spirits must be pretty fragile! Ours don't get hurt very often.

[zeeth_kyrah]

I think it involves a whole different theory of spirit; whereas your system naturally falls into several parts, mine is more of an integrated thing, where each level evolves from the previous.

So in your case someone would have to actually attack your spirit; but here, every part affects the rest.

I guess it's what I'm used to, but I might enjoy not having to worry about that sort of thing, and also having ubiquitous miracles everywhere. We have to use machinery to do a lot of what you get with magic.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

That's so weird. I can't even imagine how you'd make a machine to do most of the things magic can! I mean some of them sure but a machine that teleports? A machine to make more space in a bag? To heal people? Weeeeird.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Ah, and that's the thing. We can't teleport yet. We don't have machines that do Locador very well. And healing doesn't always work as fast as you understand it.

But we can design bags which can be packed more efficiently, so they'll hold more than expected in the same inside volume. It's all a matter of how you look at things.