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

[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.

[mind_game]

And yoink.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"If there's anything else Arianna or Isibel should hear, now would be a good time to tell me," Elspeth tells Sandalon.

[thinklikethis]

"Um... I don't want to bother a dragon," says Sandalon. "And I don't want to be famous or do spectacular magic or anything. But... if the dragon would like to meet me... I don't think I would mind." He ducks his head. "That's all."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Okay. Bye."

And Elspeth goes back to the group and relates what went on.

[pythbox]

"Really," says Arianna.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth bursts out laughing.

[pythbox]

"What?" she says indignantly.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"It's just cute."

[thaumobabble]

"I can confirm that I haven't, actually, seen a perform-unspeakable-acts attractor stuck to Chainsaw, let alone Sandy. I can go have a look at Sandalon, I guess."