how are you feeling?

[small_magics]

[It seems that perhaps we should speak,] Isibel says to Lycaelon. She wishes him a cup of tea, wherever he is, hovering in the air waiting for him to take it. [Though I confess I do not know where to begin.]

Comments

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I'm here to learn enough to have a better chance of saying accurately whether it'll be okay or not," says Elspeth. "If you don't have any idea then you can't tell me, I suppose, maybe Sarion will just have to disappoint the dragon." She hmmms. "I could," she says, "invite one of you here in case that would be any help."

[thinklikethis]

"...I don't think I want to meet a one of me who is—unsuitable for dragons," Sandalon says quickly.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"No, the one I'd invite is the one who works for Sarion's alt," says Elspeth, shaking her head.

[thinklikethis]

"Well... that might be all right," he says cautiously.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Okay." Elspeth taps her Janegem.

[mind_game]

[Hey Sandy! Elspeth is trying to talk to an elf of you! She is having trouble and wants help. She can explain the details way faster than I can if you want me to just drop you there.]

[guiltless]

[Uh... sure!] says Sandy.

[mind_game]

Yoink!

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Sandy, this is Sandalon. Sandalon, Sandy, your alt from Eos."

(And this is what has passed between them so far, and there is Arianna who is an Anna and a dragon of Ansharil's kind, and maybe they won't Bond but it sure seems likely, and she wants minting, and there's Sandy, but then again there's Chainsaw, and then there's the one who's Chelsa's pet -)

[thinklikethis]

Sandalon peers at the new arrival.

"You're a human," he says, surprised. "I mean—I See you, Sandy. Um. It would be good... to... hear what you might have to say."

[guiltless]

"...I think I at least know what the problem is," says Sandy, studying Sandalon. "And it's... hmm. Probably not as much of a problem as you think."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"What is it?" Elspeth asks Sandy. (And to Sandalon she flicks the knowledge that humans are just everywhere; Sandalon's species, like her own, is confined to a single world, though variants on their themes can be found in a handful of others.)

[guiltless]

"...So our entire template is sadists," says Sandy, "I mean, as far as I know, I haven't personally met the one in Gift or anything, but we're not necessarily bad sadists. Chainsaw is only Chainsaw because of Downside, and if you read between the lines with what Eights says about him he's pretty much settled right down, he just can't admit it because he spent so long needing to be the scariest asshole around that it's probably going to take him a few centuries to shift gears."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"We're not supposed to go near the Gift one because he's telekinetic and a Gift could cut through wished defenses like butter," says Elspeth, "and he's not supposed to know about multiversal stuff because he's still with Chelsa."

[guiltless]

Sandy snorts.

"Anyway, though, if I didn't have my very own special circumstances I'd probably be pretty worried about myself. I've been pretty worried about myself a time or two. But there is ultimately not that much to worry about."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Special circumstances?"

[guiltless]

"My ingot power is that I go to this place in my dreams with a bunch of... kind of distilled versions of me in it? And I have for a really long time, so I'm used to them by now, and I've figured out that they're ultimately pretty harmless if you take them on their own terms and therefore so am I. It, uh, took a lot more figuring than it sounds like."

[thinklikethis]

Sandalon is listening in utter fascination.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Huh. So your opinion is it's safe to mint Arianna and let Bonding happen or not, whichever?"

[guiltless]

"Yep," says Sandy. "And, you know, don't then turn around and drop the guy into a basically literal Hell where the only obvious career paths are torturer and tortur-ee. But like. I don't think you're going to do that anyway."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Not on anybody's agenda," agrees Elspeth.

[guiltless]

Sandy shrugs. "So there you go, that's my advice."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"All right. Do you want Jane to drop you back in Eos before I go pass that along, or not?"

[guiltless]

"Yeah, might as well. Nice meeting you," he says to Sandalon.

[thinklikethis]

"...And you as well," Sandalon manages.