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Finnah's just arrived at work to open the store for the morning shift; she has her apron on but hasn't put her hair up yet. She lets in the customer who always takes half an angle to determine that he wants four buttercreams, again, and then nips into the back to tend to her hair and check the overnight progress of the rock candy.
This isn't the back.
But that -
No, he's too tall to be Mial, if this is a Mial prank it's a stupidly elaborate one.
"Okay, I give up," she says, "what the hell?"
isthisart
Linya scans Koridaar again.
"Lalita's blood seems to work perfectly thoroughly on elves. The scanner's estimate of your age is dropping precipitously," she says.
"Lalita's blood seems to work perfectly thoroughly on elves. The scanner's estimate of your age is dropping precipitously," she says.
greatcomposure
"I think," says Koridaar, "once we verify the extent of the effect, I might like to take my runecasting study materials and go home. Otherwise I expect to be waiting a long time for Mial to be done swearing at his alts."
"Yeah, this is looking like it's going to make him forget to eat, sleep, and breathe except for the purpose of swearing," snorts Finnah. "And if I stay too long I'm going to want lunch way before my lunch break. Can the bar give me a new nametag so I don't get caught without?"
Bar provides. Finnah hands over an aaber and gets change and goes out the door.
Bar provides. Finnah hands over an aaber and gets change and goes out the door.
greatcomposure
"I suppose there is no good way to predict when the rejuvenating blood will be done with me," says Koridaar.
isthisart
"I could guess," says Linya, "but since we have no planned responses to any of the possible answers and I don't know if I'd be even close I'm not sure I should bother naming a number."
isthisart
Books are supplied. Linya inclines her head and goes back to her own merry barsploitation.
greatcomposure
"In that case, I'll be going now."
Koridaar has reverted to an apparent age of about twenty-five equivalent. When she stands up, she smiles brilliantly.
Koridaar has reverted to an apparent age of about twenty-five equivalent. When she stands up, she smiles brilliantly.
abeance
For certain values of meanwhile:
"Bloody Enchanted Forest is too enchanted to forest," says Jann, kicking a rock. "Isn't it supposed to be somewhere around here? Approximately? Hulloa the forest, we need to visit your princesses!"
first-and-final
"It is rather notoriously difficult to enter if you mean to go there," says Milo. "Well, it wouldn't be a quest without pointless obstacles, right? Let's try going this way. I think the sparse scraggly trees are thicker in that direction."
He is correct about that. The sparse scraggly trees do start looking awfully foresty.
But nothing like any description of the Enchanted Forest.
He is correct about that. The sparse scraggly trees do start looking awfully foresty.
But nothing like any description of the Enchanted Forest.
abeance
"Well, this is some forest. This looks like the sort of forest you get turned into a hedgehog for poaching in, remind me not to hunt anything on this trip. I suppose if the idea is not to try to go to the forest we could try going to the Caves of Fire and Night and do my thing first."
first-and-final
"There is that... I don't know, something here feels off. Does something here feel off to you?"
abeance
"You mean besides the hedgehog thing?" Pause. "Yeah, actually, this does not look like forestry class in knight school." Jann peers around. "There... are... too many sticks? On the ground? Wow, that sounds incredibly stupid when I say it."
first-and-final
"And yet for once I'm not inclined to tell you so. There's - something."
He proceeds a little further.
"I think I see a break in the trees up ahead. Would you rather make for it, or turn around?"
He proceeds a little further.
"I think I see a break in the trees up ahead. Would you rather make for it, or turn around?"
abeance
"Mm - well, you can't get much more 'not trying to enter the Enchanted Forest' than 'attempting to depart a clump of trees for not-a-clump-of-trees' - let's go."
first-and-final
"Sure. I accept your logic."
Milo proceeds forward.
In a minute or so, the trees do indeed thin out again, and they emerge onto a grassy field that surrounds a very pretty lake. There are mountains visible in the distance. It is almost precisely the wrong direction for them to be the Mountains of Morning. Also, a few minutes ago it was midmorning and now it seems to be late afternoon.
The lake and its surroundings are subtly off in the same way as the forest. There are fewer sticks on the ground out here, but that just means the weirdness is harder to pinpoint.
Also, there are plenty of rocks. Such as the one Milo carelessly steps on that turns under his foot and pitches him sideways into a slight dip in the ground, where he encounters several more rocks.
"Fuck!" he hisses, and then continues in that vein.
Milo proceeds forward.
In a minute or so, the trees do indeed thin out again, and they emerge onto a grassy field that surrounds a very pretty lake. There are mountains visible in the distance. It is almost precisely the wrong direction for them to be the Mountains of Morning. Also, a few minutes ago it was midmorning and now it seems to be late afternoon.
The lake and its surroundings are subtly off in the same way as the forest. There are fewer sticks on the ground out here, but that just means the weirdness is harder to pinpoint.
Also, there are plenty of rocks. Such as the one Milo carelessly steps on that turns under his foot and pitches him sideways into a slight dip in the ground, where he encounters several more rocks.
"Fuck!" he hisses, and then continues in that vein.