I've got a list of names | Glowfic Constellation

Afen is disappointed in the universe. He bounds back and forth across his room explaining why to his wife, his infant granddaughter, the end table, and a reporter flabbergasted by her good luck and cringing silently against the wall in the hopes he won't remember she's there.

"There is no reason to suppose that a species evolving independently of Amentans, with their own evolutionary history and living mammalian species likely related to theirs, would end up looking like us. None. Every explanation every scientist has ventured to the press has been unimaginative and unconvincing retroactive refitting of bad models to baffling data. Aliens shouldn't look like us but with different hair colors. Aliens that are not made out of carbon at all would be unsurprising; aliens with only as much physiological dissimilarity as exists between us and animal species on our planet would be mildly surprising; aliens with opposable thumbs would be truly remarkable. This is not remarkable and biologically enlightening; this is just inconsistent with everything we understand about the universe. It doesn't teach us new things about evolution; it should make us rethink evolution. - don't quote that part, they'll take it out of context."

Reporter nods rapidly.

"All of that said, I've picked up three of the languages and I'm working on building a good machine translator, it's a challenge with as little as they've produced in the way of electronic records. I'm absolutely going there to meet them as soon as the politicians figure out what to do with themselves."

"Do you have any predictions about that?"

"About politics? Why would I have predictions about politics? They deliberately obscure relevant information, for one thing, and for another it's deathly boring."

"- I mean, sir, surely you hear from your son about -"

"I have seven children and some of them are very dense indeed but not quite dense enough to try to interest me in politics."

"I was referring to -"

"I know who you were referring to. If you want a statement from Aitim go bother Aitim."

"Thank you for your time."

"I did not alter my activities in response to your presence and therefore you can't yet be said to have wasted any of my time though you should go before you do."

...out skitters the reporter.

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"They do give me strange looks when I go to town to meet somebody off the springtime app even though I don't bring them back to the estate."

"I think in local terms you are making yourself unmarriageable but I don't know why the wizards abide by that when they have birth control - it makes sense among the ones who don't -"

"Oh, I know. Ana hasn't run into this yet because she's reseasoned correctly but I think in the local astronomical springtime someone will make a remark and she will yell at them."

"I think once they're less religious lots of human men will be sex workers. I'm really glad we don't have sex-based differences, it seems like it creates a sort of horribly intractable situation."

"Yes. They seem attached to them."

"They do. Your mother thinks the strength differences, at least, are biological rather than cultural."

"Yes, she mentioned."

"I will see about getting you other placements which could help defend your findings on how much humans want kids."

Nod.

And a shopping center with a luxury apartment complex on top opens in Himlin. It's a lovely shopping center, four stories with stacked balconies and greenery and fountains and exquisite floors and so on. On the third floor, between a restaurant and an electronics store, is a quaint little shop selling a remarkable variety of high-quality woods, and across the way is one that sells rare plants and plant cuttings.

Aaron Meriwether Way

wealth-of-nations

Aaron mentions this to people he knows who do things that require nonmagical supplies!

Purples who tried to explain to Aitim Neli that they don't expect these things to have much market, and who were promised a guaranteed income as long as they kept the shops staffed and elegant, hang out in their stores.

People who Aaron knows trickle into the shop, although they often begin their trip slightly annoyed by having to navigate the city, which is very unlike the places they are used to. Some of them don't bother to try to wear Muggle clothes.

Purples don't have any idea how Muggles dress. If the wizards have money they will sell them things.

The wizards do have money.

And they want plant cuttings, apparently. Politely bewildered purples will sell them plant cuttings and make small talk about Canada - "it's so empty -" and the weather - "I lived too far south for snow, back home, I'm really looking forward to it."

"Do you have a refund policy if there turns out to be a knot in this block?"

"Yes, of course, your money back for any reason for thirty days and store credit for ninety."

"That's after I've cut it up, you realize. Since otherwise it will not be obvious if there's a knot."

" - it's not that I can sell it again, it's that people buy more if they're sure they can get their money back if they don't like it."

The visitor buys a lot of wood blocks.

"Have a nice day!" Aitim Neli had been insistent they be of the highest quality.

Some wizards are impolite enough to attempt theft.

The first time they will get away with it, because the storekeeper will be suitably persuaded that they paid until the end of the day when she does inventory. The second time they will be told "I'm so sorry, but reviewing my security cameras, last time you left without paying. I can't have that. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."