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In Paraasilan, Esmaar, a pair of roommates are about to break a rule that, compared to the one about running in the corridors or even the one about unlicensed teleportation, is there for a good reason.
In unison, they complete their shared spell.
Hall in Elcenia
or-the-broken
"Confused and mildly alarmed administrators," he says dryly. "What do you want to know? If anyone's going to attack them? No. If anyone's going to feed them? Yes. House them? They can stay in my apartment, it's not like I'll be using it."
"Lights need more water than other people," says the bubblegum-pink light. "And sunlight." (The room has enormous windows taking up a couple walls.)
"And they won't speak the language. The spell you're using won't work in another world. Pity dragons are never lights," Keo muses.
"And they won't speak the language. The spell you're using won't work in another world. Pity dragons are never lights," Keo muses.
or-the-broken
"The language thing can be handled. There's such a thing as a universal translator in my world; I don't personally have one, but the hospital can probably scare one up, especially if I'm going to be gone for a while and especially if they get excited about lights. Sunlight, though... what kind of sunlight?"
"...light... from... the sun?" says the light, gesturing window-ward.
Keo doesn't seem to have anything helpful to add there.
Keo doesn't seem to have anything helpful to add there.
or-the-broken
"The sun here isn't the same as the sun at home. If what you need from the sun here isn't something the sun at home has, that could be a problem."
"Well - I guess you teach whoever you send your dragonsong and if they find it tastes wrong when they're there you bring them back for sunbathing every day?" the bubblegum-pink light says to Keo.
"Sounds like," Keo agrees.
"Sounds like," Keo agrees.
"If someone sings a dragon's name to a certain tune, the dragon knows about it. Doesn't know anything else, so it's best if it's an agreed-upon signal, but it does work transworld initiated out of Elcenia."
"I have," reports Keo, "one student who is also a light and takes anthropology classes and would love to write a report on your world for course credit for a few shifts of healing. Shall we go talk to him?"
Keo waves to the light, leads him into the hall, and then into the lift, which she directs to a residence hall. The lift moves.
or-the-broken
"Different functionality at home, different aesthetic," he says. "Different mechanism, too, I bet."
The lift comes to a stop and opens up. Keo leads him into the hall and knocks on a door, and a kid who looks like a humanoid lion opens it. "Hi, Keo. Hi, offworld person."
The kid looks confused.
"He's the nonmagical version of a trained light," Keo says, "not a psychologist."
"Oh," says the kid. "Anyway, I called my mom and she says I can go as long as it's safe and I'm going to learn things."
"He's the nonmagical version of a trained light," Keo says, "not a psychologist."
"Oh," says the kid. "Anyway, I called my mom and she says I can go as long as it's safe and I'm going to learn things."
"Okay. Keo said you'd write me a letter?" The lion-kid produces a piece of paper and a stick of graphite.
or-the-broken
"Yeah."
He accepts these instruments, thinks for a minute, and then starts writing. His handwriting is very neat, despite how fast he writes. At the end he signs it, then folds the page and addresses it to the head of his hospital's administrative staff.
"That should cover it. Lily's pretty adaptable for a bureaucrat."
He accepts these instruments, thinks for a minute, and then starts writing. His handwriting is very neat, despite how fast he writes. At the end he signs it, then folds the page and addresses it to the head of his hospital's administrative staff.
"That should cover it. Lily's pretty adaptable for a bureaucrat."
"Okay. Um, I'm packed for a couple days, Keo, but after that can you bring me back for a change of clothes and stuff?"
"By then there should be a grownup who can go for a longer stretch," Keo says. "I've given you my dragonsong, go ahead and make sure you can sing that now." The leonine sings fifteen pretty syllables, and Keo nods. "Okay, sing that if the sun tastes wrong or something else happens that means you need to come home."
The kid nods.
"By then there should be a grownup who can go for a longer stretch," Keo says. "I've given you my dragonsong, go ahead and make sure you can sing that now." The leonine sings fifteen pretty syllables, and Keo nods. "Okay, sing that if the sun tastes wrong or something else happens that means you need to come home."
The kid nods.