View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Their Isabella having just gone to welcome a new Bell into the peal, Kas and Petaal snuggle up together and take a nap. They'll want to be well rested for the party.
When they wake up, she still isn't back.
[Jane?]
No response.
Kas teleports down to the Janepoint, Petaal wrapped snake-shaped around his shoulders.
The display reads: error 7788: lycanthropy
"...So that's new," he says.
"No shit," says Petaal. "Now what?"
He shrugs. She coils tighter.
"Hang around and wait, I guess."
+ Show First Post
truthwright
Nicoa, quite at random, becomes an anteater and sticks out his tongue at Kalavar.
Shura giggles and goes on feeding ducks.
"Even the ducks can tell the difference between themselves and daemons, whatever the daemon form," remarks Shura's grandmother.
Shura giggles and goes on feeding ducks.
"Even the ducks can tell the difference between themselves and daemons, whatever the daemon form," remarks Shura's grandmother.
"It's a little like magical sensitivity, except animals don't react in special ways to enchanted things," says Shura's grandmother, "they can only tell the difference between daemons and animals. In people, being able to tell that easily and quickly usually comes with being able to tell things about magic. The faster a mortal could tell that Kalavar isn't a duck, the more likely they'd be to notice my dagger's enchantments, or my birth blessing, or tell that I'm not a mortal even if I dressed up like one. Of course witches have higher magical sensitivity than mortals do."
carillons
"Oh," says Helen. She pets Kalavar's fuzzy head and throws a handful of corn kernels to the ducks. "Why's it different for animals and people that way?"
Shura's grandmother starts explaining evolution. If animals couldn't tell that daemons were part of people, they could not act correctly afraid of them - which they must do. Daemons don't have to eat for themselves, and if they help their people hunt, they may attack animals that their current shapes would not disturb. Children's daemons are even more versatile; if the ducks were fooled by Kalavar, Helen could hide, Kalavar could go among them, and then she could turn into a fox right on top of a real duck and there would be dinner.
carillons
...Kalavar turns into a small blue dragon and looks speculatively at the ducks.
The ducks don't react to this transformation. They are just as inclined to keep their distance as before. (Which isn't that much; when witches want to kill these ducks they lure them away with magic, they don't attack them in front of the flock.)
Nicoa is tempted by fuzz. He turns into a small monkey and pets Kalavar.
Shura giggles.
"How come you make so many animal-noises?" Nicoa asks Kalavar.
"How come you make so many animal-noises?" Nicoa asks Kalavar.
Nicoa tries some experimental monkey-noises, then shakes his head.
carillons
Kalavar giggles and duckling-squeaks at him some more. It is indeed adorable.
Nicoa turns into a dragonfly and adorns Shura's hair like an ornament.
The ducks seem to be pretty full.
The ducks seem to be pretty full.
carillons
Kalavar turns into a fuzzy moth and perches in the palm of Helen's hand.
"You're tickly," she giggles.
"You're tickly," she giggles.
"Well," says Shura's grandmother, setting her cloudpine in the air and setting Shura on it, "we're going to have dinner. Say goodbye, Shura."
"Bye," says Shura.
"Bye," says Shura.
And off they go.
It is later, when Helen is just past her sixth birthday, that Ranata brainphones Kas who is off somewhere. [There's a lovely-looking children's aquarium opening in Chicago,] she says. [I thought perhaps Helen would like it. We could all three go, with Charlie if he's up for the flight but he probably won't be.]
[Can you meet me there Tuesday or Wednesday?]
[Okay!] And she supplies the address. [There's a lot of exhibits, we should start at at least ten in the morning to see everything before Helen gets tired.]
