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Bella's routine carries on, though her classwork advances and the birds (and antelopes, and later bears and butterflies, so far all ultimately peaceful after she solves their respective puzzles) develop more of a civilization under her direction. (With random changes that Sue sometimes makes to the landscape; she'll log on one day to find that he's put up a dovecote-tower on a mountain or left a stack of firewood where a forest used to be or taught her birds a choreographed dance.) She has basic infrastructure under control by the time she's seven and has to work out how to solve more social issues: the bears don't like how the antelopes smell, the butterfly eggs can't survive in the northerly villages she shortsightedly settles a colony of them in and the birds won't look after them for free, the antelopes want open spaces and object to urban development, the birds seem to think she's theirs because her avatar is one and she found them first and they sometimes get into spats with the others over this, a butterfly is orphaned in a rockslide and starts following her around like she's his mommy. It's challenging and it's surprisingly devoid of war, but she supposes they handle her training for war in other settings besides this one.
They don't see each other outside of the fantasy game, so they don't talk (though she can write words, sometimes, if there's a reason). He goes into an army - Condor to start, he's traded to Meerkat soon after. He's a little before the rest of his launch.
She's a little before the rest of her launch too; she's getting restless playing in the battleroom with people who've had only as much chance to practice as she has. She gets promoted when she's not quite eight yet, and goes to Flame.
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The first battle Flame has after Bella's promotion—about a month later—is against Meerkat.
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Bella's toon leader, "Fractal", is assigned to order her toon into a formation. She's still green relative to the vets, exo or no exo, and hasn't impressed her commander or Fractal enough to get special assignments; she's not even the sharpshooter in the middle, protected, she's one of the outside spokes of the shape they form around him. They do aim to have her be the one to push off and "run" along surfaces as called for, but she's locked into the formation, Fractal's orders, and can't do much. She gets her legs flashed early and then she can't even do that, can only link elbows and hold hands with the boys and be in the way of anyone trying to shoot their sharpshooter.
She's pretty sure the games would be more interesting if she were under someone who knew how to use her, but Flame's commander doesn't, he just knows there's enough to her that he's greedy when anyone offers to trade for her. No one's bitten yet. She holds still while the formation maneuvers and shoots and thinks about her birds.
She's pretty sure the games would be more interesting if she were under someone who knew how to use her, but Flame's commander doesn't, he just knows there's enough to her that he's greedy when anyone offers to trade for her. No one's bitten yet. She holds still while the formation maneuvers and shoots and thinks about her birds.
The battle is close, nearly a draw.
Halfway through, an enemy soldier careens directly into their formation, rolls along the legs of a half-frozen outer spoke, flashes the sharpshooter, and then pushes off toward the far wall. The long trajectory is a bad idea; a Flame soldier from another toon manages to flash him on the way.
His incessant giggling might be familiar.
Halfway through, an enemy soldier careens directly into their formation, rolls along the legs of a half-frozen outer spoke, flashes the sharpshooter, and then pushes off toward the far wall. The long trajectory is a bad idea; a Flame soldier from another toon manages to flash him on the way.
His incessant giggling might be familiar.
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It is. Bella smiles.
With the sharpshooter out, Fractal orders the formation to burst and attack individually. Bella still has her arms; she can't maneuver much, but she can do some, and she gets two people (one just his firing arm, one enough to disable) before she gets flashed to disability herself and is confined in her suit as though poised to fire for the remaining minutes of the game.
Meerkat wins, by a hair. The victory ritual ensues and there's bowing and Bella accepts good-natured banter from her toonmates about her first battle and how she did all right for a green crippled soldier.
With the sharpshooter out, Fractal orders the formation to burst and attack individually. Bella still has her arms; she can't maneuver much, but she can do some, and she gets two people (one just his firing arm, one enough to disable) before she gets flashed to disability herself and is confined in her suit as though poised to fire for the remaining minutes of the game.
Meerkat wins, by a hair. The victory ritual ensues and there's bowing and Bella accepts good-natured banter from her toonmates about her first battle and how she did all right for a green crippled soldier.
The next time she logs on to the fantasy game, Sue has erected a monument near her original village: crudely carved stone letters, twice as tall as a bird person, that say WHEE!
Several curious bird people are climbing it. One seems to be investigating how the vertical bar of the exclamation mark is floating in the air like that. Another is measuring the height difference between the two Es.
Several curious bird people are climbing it. One seems to be investigating how the vertical bar of the exclamation mark is floating in the air like that. Another is measuring the height difference between the two Es.
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How is the exclamation point hanging? Inquiring Bella wants to know.
The word behaves as though it is one contiguous object, even though there are gaps between the letters. When one part is pushed hard enough, the whole thing shifts.
On close inspection, it's not a kind of rock that occurs naturally in this region. Or any other that Bella is familiar with.
On close inspection, it's not a kind of rock that occurs naturally in this region. Or any other that Bella is familiar with.
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Huh. She wonders where he found it. She checks on the ongoing projects in this village and then takes to the air, flying high to look for signs of Sue or landscapes that look like Sue has been at them lately.
Something is on fire in the distance. That's a pretty clear sign.
Sue's bird has a bonfire going, past the edge of Bella's explored territory. It's much longer than it is wide, and glowing in the heart of the fire is a fancy curlicued arrow shape, an arrowhead at the end of a series of undulating spirals. He stands to one side, fanning the flames with his wings.
He giggle-caws and takes off.
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She checks to see if there's any chance the fire will spread to her villages; but she doesn't think so, there was a lake on the way if nothing else, and he had to make firebreaks to create the design in the first place. She flies after him, laughing.
He leads her only a short distance, to an uneven ravine with several large chunks taken out of the near edge. The rock is the same stuff from WHEE!. Sue lands, points to it, and starts preening.
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Hmm, this is the rock that floated. Is there a pickaxe or something around?
Nope. Some of the gouge marks around the missing pieces match Sue's talons.
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Bella directs her avatar to scratch at the rocks, although she doesn't have talons, just little claws on the hands that peep out from her wingjoints. Maybe it's porous rock.
Nope.
Sue watches her for a moment, and then reaches over and claws at the rocks. He has to work at it, but he gets another piece sliced off (basketball-sized in comparison to her avatar) and offers it to her.
Sue watches her for a moment, and then reaches over and claws at the rocks. He has to work at it, but he gets another piece sliced off (basketball-sized in comparison to her avatar) and offers it to her.
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She starts playing with the rock. Will it float? Floating rock would be cool.
It will not float. It acts pretty much like a rock.
Sue watches her for about thirty seconds, and then takes off again, headed back toward his bonfire.
Sue watches her for about thirty seconds, and then takes off again, headed back toward his bonfire.
Sue lands by the fire.
He points a talon at the fire.
He points a talon back toward the place where he got the rock.
He points a talon at the fire.
He points a talon back toward the place where he got the rock.
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Oh. You have to bake it.
Kiln :) she writes. Hmm. What could she do with this... First she wants to see how and if he plans to move this big old design. It looks heavy.
Kiln :) she writes. Hmm. What could she do with this... First she wants to see how and if he plans to move this big old design. It looks heavy.
He caws a laugh.
The fire is dying down; Sue hovers over the embers for a moment, then takes the still-glowing center curl of the arrow in his talons. The head and tail lift with it. It is heavy, but apparently Sue's avatar can fly with heavy things.
He takes it back to that lake she noticed on the way, and drops it in with a hiss and an enormous splash.
The fire is dying down; Sue hovers over the embers for a moment, then takes the still-glowing center curl of the arrow in his talons. The head and tail lift with it. It is heavy, but apparently Sue's avatar can fly with heavy things.
He takes it back to that lake she noticed on the way, and drops it in with a hiss and an enormous splash.