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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?
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inourhead
inourhead
Crystal-Pyay doesn't seem to be having as much fun as all that, but she studies doggedly. Prepositions. Conjunctions! (She confirms that "roooom" means "and".) Numbers. And -
"More mouse?" she says, when she's learned to say "more". "Mouse" was one of the original nouns. "Sleep."
"More mouse?" she says, when she's learned to say "more". "Mouse" was one of the original nouns. "Sleep."
when_spoken_to
Emma consults her list of "words Crystal-Pyay knows". "No know," she says carefully. "Emma no mouse. Emma sleep."
inourhead
"Pyay mouse, Pyay and Crystal not sleep," says Crystal-Pyay. "More mouse?"
when_spoken_to
Okay, Emma is confused by how the name thing is working here, but she doesn't really have the vocabulary to ask yet.
"No know," she repeats. Hmm. Does it have to be a mouse? "No mouse, yes cat, yes horse. Crystal Pyay cat not sleep?"
There is a handy reference book of various animal species she can point to, here. They do in fact have a cat- there's one in the stables that keeps the mice out (which is apparently suboptimal, at the moment)- so if Emma can find it, maybe Crystal-Pyay can use that.
"No know," she repeats. Hmm. Does it have to be a mouse? "No mouse, yes cat, yes horse. Crystal Pyay cat not sleep?"
There is a handy reference book of various animal species she can point to, here. They do in fact have a cat- there's one in the stables that keeps the mice out (which is apparently suboptimal, at the moment)- so if Emma can find it, maybe Crystal-Pyay can use that.
inourhead
Crystal-Pyay shrugs. "Horse," she says. Apparently horses are better than cats for this purpose.
when_spoken_to
In that case, Crystal-Pyay is welcome to a tour of the stables. There are only three horses, so the tour will not take very long.
when_spoken_to
Emma had not actually gotten to time words. She is now regretting this. "Horse sleep, horse sleep, horse sleep, horse no sleep," she tries as an alternative, complete with waving-forward-because-time-moves-I-
inourhead
Crystal-Pyay nods. "More mouse," she mutters. "Mouse sleep sleep sleep sleep."
inourhead
"Emma and - zero?" says Crystal-Pyay, improvising with her number words. "Emma sleep? Sleep not - bad bad bad. Sleep bad."
when_spoken_to
Emma shrugs. "Emma sleep. Jenny sleep, Alli sleep." She waves her hands vaguely around her head. "Chialto people sleep. Sleep not bad in Chialto."
She can see why sleep would be bad where Crystal Pyay comes from. If she can make herself be awake all the time, why wouldn't you? You'd get so much more done. Emma's rather jealous.
She can see why sleep would be bad where Crystal Pyay comes from. If she can make herself be awake all the time, why wouldn't you? You'd get so much more done. Emma's rather jealous.
when_spoken_to
"No know-" Emma tries to get the drawn out vowel- "Tlaaaaa. Sleep not bad. Klaonso... eat sleep?"
The image she has is of them somehow eating the concept of sleep and people never being rested. She's pretty sure that's wrong.
The image she has is of them somehow eating the concept of sleep and people never being rested. She's pretty sure that's wrong.
when_spoken_to
Well, that is a very alarming image and Emma is no longer quite as jealous.
"No- klaonso." She giggles. "Um, Emma not know klaonso, but. Sleep, no klaonso eat Emma. Sleep good."
"No- klaonso." She giggles. "Um, Emma not know klaonso, but. Sleep, no klaonso eat Emma. Sleep good."
inourhead
"Fkoooohk nook...?" She doesn't seem to expect an answer; she doesn't know how to translate this yet.
when_spoken_to
Emma stares at her blankly. Does she think Emma meant it's just her, maybe? She points at the world map from earlier. "People sleep," she says, and jabs her finger at a bunch of spots. "People sleep, no klaonso eat people. People no know klaonso. People sleep."
inourhead
Crystal-Pyay taps her chin, then holds her hand about a couple feet off the ground. "Person." She holds her hand at about her eye level. "Person."
inourhead
"Adult sleep?" She starts jabbing her fingers at random places on the map - not even cities, random tiny towns. "Adult sleep adult sleep adult sleep adult sleep?"
when_spoken_to
Ooooookay, if this turns into an awkward sex conversation Emma is changing the subject.
"Yes, adult sleep," she says, still bewildered. She encompasses the whole map with a hand sweep. "Adult sleep. People sleep."
"Yes, adult sleep," she says, still bewildered. She encompasses the whole map with a hand sweep. "Adult sleep. People sleep."
inourhead
"Emma and zero Emma and zero Emma and zero, people one one one one one...?"
when_spoken_to
This girl looks like she's around Emma's age. How did she not get the sex conversation already? Emma does not have the vocabulary for this and she is not explaining with gestures.
"Um. Adult and adult, people two, bed, child...? Emma and zero."
Not that her parents haven't been trying to find her someone Well Respected from the five families, but they haven't actually succeeded yet.
"Um. Adult and adult, people two, bed, child...? Emma and zero."
Not that her parents haven't been trying to find her someone Well Respected from the five families, but they haven't actually succeeded yet.
inourhead
Crystal-and-Pyay - looks quizzically at her.
Then she goes and stands slightly to the left of her original position and holds her arms up and says, "Crystal! One person." Then she steps to the right and makes a different gesture, hands by her sides and palms out. "Pyay! One person." She stands where she was standing. "Two people. Crystal. And. Pyay."
Then she goes and stands slightly to the left of her original position and holds her arms up and says, "Crystal! One person." Then she steps to the right and makes a different gesture, hands by her sides and palms out. "Pyay! One person." She stands where she was standing. "Two people. Crystal. And. Pyay."