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]

Elspeth taps her chin. "Not asking elves questions is hard," she comments.

[thinklikethis]

"It comes easier with practice," he murmurs.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Probably. I haven't had much. Isibel doesn't mind being asked questions and she doesn't bring any of her elf friends to parties."

[thinklikethis]

"I have never," he says, "met Isibel Sarion."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Well, people are allowed to ask her questions. And she has interesting friends from other worlds. And she considers this entire world to be her responsibility and she will be embarrassed in front of all her interesting otherworldly friends if one of its population acquires a minted dragon and does anything destructive to or with her before she can put a stop to it."

[thinklikethis]

"I do not want a dragon, in mint or any other flavour," Sandalon says plaintively. "I want to live by myself and make beautiful things and not be especially remembered by history."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"She doesn't seem to want you very much, either, and we aren't positive that you'd Bond if you met anyway, but we've seen copies of you three times before and copies of her three times before and they always show up together."

[thinklikethis]

"Then—if it is a matter of fate—" He bites his lip, then bursts out, "It would be good to know of your courtesy what you expect me to do about any of it!"

[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."