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This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea.
Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.
And the demon's gaining on her.
She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.
And Holly's not fast enough.
The mouth catches her.
But it doesn't hurt.
Where are we?
inourhead
when_spoken_to
Emma attempts to suppress a panicked squirm. That is a dead rodent in her house. Ick. "Garden?" she suggests, and pantomimes digging, adding, "Bury?"
inourhead
Crystal nods, collects all the dead mice, closes the cage on the live ones, and follows Emma.
when_spoken_to
It's just barely sunrise, which Emma enjoys; both for aesthetic reasons and for her ability to see once outside. The garden's enclosed by a middling height stone wall; it's not large, but it's well laid out and tidily maintained. Deciding that if the dead mice (ick, ick, ick) need to be buried, they might as well be useful, Emma retrieves Crystal a spade and directs her towards the base of some rose bushes.
The roses, according to her mother, always need more fertilizer.
The roses, according to her mother, always need more fertilizer.
inourhead
Crystal buries the dead mice. She looks at the sun, frowning inscrutably, then shrugs and goes back inside.
when_spoken_to
Breakfast time. "Emma go, eat, come," she promises, offering a selection of children's books she dug out of the library they hadn't yet covered. "Crystal read?"
when_spoken_to
Emma makes an appearance at breakfast, smiles noncommittally when her mother makes pleased sounds about how well-rested and awake she looks, and lets her father ramble about business for most of the meal. She doesn't bring up their house guest. She's quite sure her parents would turn them into the palace, for one thing, and she's worried about what they'd do to Holly and Crystal.
(And as much as she wants her parents' advice, to get guidance like she always has- secretly, Emma doesn't want to give up her secret just yet. Teaching languages is fun! She's not ready to share just yet.)
Her tutor's not coming until the afternoon, so she gets permission to use the library to study until her lessons. Her parents look fondly proud at her initiative; Emma basks in the approval and decides not to explain. Her father leaves for meetings with his business partners, and her mother for some sort of charity event she's helping organize, and Emma has the house to herself again.
She trots back to find Crystal and Holly as promised. "Hi!" she says cheerfully when she's back. "Books good?"
(And as much as she wants her parents' advice, to get guidance like she always has- secretly, Emma doesn't want to give up her secret just yet. Teaching languages is fun! She's not ready to share just yet.)
Her tutor's not coming until the afternoon, so she gets permission to use the library to study until her lessons. Her parents look fondly proud at her initiative; Emma basks in the approval and decides not to explain. Her father leaves for meetings with his business partners, and her mother for some sort of charity event she's helping organize, and Emma has the house to herself again.
She trots back to find Crystal and Holly as promised. "Hi!" she says cheerfully when she's back. "Books good?"
inourhead
"Sun -" Holly flips through their notes. "Oh. One sun. Sun go up." Holly makes a confused gesture.
when_spoken_to
"Yesss..." Emma says, confused. "Sun go up, sun go down. One day."
Though she would have said people only came in ones, before yesterday, so who knows, really.
Though she would have said people only came in ones, before yesterday, so who knows, really.
inourhead
"Suns, suns suns, go across. Colors. Big suns little suns fast suns slow suns," says - is this Crystal now?
when_spoken_to
Emma will certainly not be able to tell! And it would not occur to her to ask mid-conversation. She shakes her head. "Welce, one sun," she says firmly. "Up, down, day. Nine day, um... nineday." That seems obvious, when said like that, but whatever, that's its name. "Eight nineday, quintile. Five quintile, year."
She does not need to explain changedays right now, that seems unnecessarily complicated.
She does not need to explain changedays right now, that seems unnecessarily complicated.
when_spoken_to
Emma names a country from the far side of the map. "They sun, Welce no sun." She draws a circle in the air, then jabs her finger to locate the two countries.
inourhead
"Sun go -" Crystal traces from Welce to the faraway country, then back across the same line.
when_spoken_to
"No..." Emma says, shaking her head and wishing desperately they owned a globe. "Sun go circle." She draws one again in the air. "Map circle."
She grabs it and points out the edges, and how they wrap around.
She grabs it and points out the edges, and how they wrap around.
when_spoken_to
Emma nods. "Circle!" She can't get the map into a sphere, but she can (carefully) fold it into a cylinder. First in one direction, then the other, to show how it overlaps. It's not the best projection, but it's close enough. "See? Circle."
when_spoken_to
Emma giggles. "My world-" she gestures to encompass the whole map, to explain the world. "not not not your world, I think, yes?"
when_spoken_to
This particular discrepancy is at least abstract enough not to bother Emma. For all she knows, Holly's world just thinks the world is flat still. Welce did for centuries, after all. It has not turned to silver in front of her. She is allowed to giggle.
But also- she feels bad. It really is a very different world. She wants to be welcoming, on behalf of her world, or something?
"Sorry," she says. "I know you sad, want your world. I just- I know, your world good, but I want you think my world good also."
They hadn't actually gotten to 'also', yet, but hopefully it's reasonably obvious in context. Maybe.
But also- she feels bad. It really is a very different world. She wants to be welcoming, on behalf of her world, or something?
"Sorry," she says. "I know you sad, want your world. I just- I know, your world good, but I want you think my world good also."
They hadn't actually gotten to 'also', yet, but hopefully it's reasonably obvious in context. Maybe.