"Are you sure it's not just artificed folded space?" Kayam asks again.
"I'm sure. It's not completely unlike it, but the flavor's different. I think there's an artifact around somewhere but it's not doing your thing, it's doing - something else. I think ravelers must have worked together on this..."
"...and none of them was a folder."
"None of them was a folder. I've never seen the thing this is before. There's got to be an artifice -"
Shara takes a step closer.
She trips.
"MILADY -"
And then Shara can't hear the rest of Kayam's scream, because she's somewhere else, too quick to reravel or even start to try.
"Oh, come on, if anybody has a chance of working it out then we do. No need to dwell. Solar tactics 101: Don't plan for failure, because you're not going to fail."
"Oh. The ones who aren't me die sometimes, yes. I was just trying to be reassuring, really, feel free to plan competently."
"I do like competent planning. Although 'tripped into a portal' wasn't my finest moment. I'm supposed to be less susceptible to tripping than I once was, but evidently not immune."
"No one is immune to tripping," Aril comments sagely. "Some are less immune than others."
"Yeah. I don't know what Kayam thought happened to me but I'm sure she's beating herself up for not catching me."
"Tragic indeed. No one should be denied the panoply of sex the world has to offer. Would you like me to fix that?"
"Suit yourself, then. Seems a shame, but it's your heart. And hers, I suppose."
"Just as a general rule I don't want anything in my head 'fixed' or edited or looked at or changed or added to or removed or anything."
"Well, that's... fair enough. I'll bear it in mind. If you accidentally see me dancing or hear me singing, close your eyes or ears and resist very hard."
"Well, it's not a guarantee, if you're strong-willed you can resist it, but mortals who see me perform tend to fall in love with me. It's only temporary, and I can take it back entirely with some work, but I can't control it, and I get the feeling you wouldn't be a fan of the whole experience."
He carries on. "Anybody who really hates it resists, and they get a headache for a while but they haven't done anything they regret. And the rest of them have the best time of their lives - and I'm not exaggerating, you understand. There's nothing that can't be enhanced with Solar radiance. And I bless their crops, and they have healthy and fertile children... It works out for everyone."
She is currently dependent on this person for food and guidance and should stay quiet. She is currently dependent on this person for food and guidance and should stay quiet. She is currently dependent on this person for food and guidance and should stay quiet. She is -
"You look unhappy," he notes. "Are you hungry? Syl will be done in a few minutes."
He goes off on a tangent about the time they threw a feast for every god in the entire Northeast quadrant of the Isle. It had seventy courses. He loved it.