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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too-early-and-too-late

"The aliens are at an impasse with the Chinese Ministry in the course of which Du threatened to murder their leader and their leader threatened to destroy the world by flying their starships into it. I'd like Elio's advice on how to talk to the Chinese Ministry. I know he's taking time off, but he wouldn't want you dead because they picked Italy to show how big and scary they are."

"I'll -"

"Erica?" calls a voice from up the stairs. "Who's there?"

"Nobody!" she calls back unconvincingly.

too-early-and-too-late

"I think he'd want to speak to me."

"Is that Timothy Way?"

"It's nobody!"

"Erica -"

"- it's him, I'll send him off -"

"I can give him a minute or two -"

"You don't have to do that -"

too-early-and-too-late

"I would be very deeply grateful for a minute or two."

And down the stairs wavers Elio Sortilegio.

too-early-and-too-late

" - hello. I was telling Erica, there's some scary stuff going on and I would really benefit from an introduction to your contacts in China."

"- ah - I've been out of touch -"

too-early-and-too-late

"I know. It's still a lot better than trying from a standing start, I expect."

"Who is your friend?" He leans on Erica, who is still slightly glowering at Timothy.

too-early-and-too-late

"This is Miranda, my sister-in-law."

"Hello, Miranda... you got married?"

too-early-and-too-late

"No, no, my little brother did. My girlfriend wants to wait, what with all the happenings happening."

"What is it that's going on in China -"

"You don't need to get involved in this," says Erica. "He doesn't have any claim on you."

too-early-and-too-late

"Du met with the aliens. He threatened to murder the leader of the aliens, the leader of the aliens threatened in return to destroy the planet. Which the aliens can, in fact, do. I think it would be a good idea for me to talk with the Chinese Ministry about options for deescalation, but it'd help to have a place to start."

"I've... not been keeping up with this business about aliens."

too-early-and-too-late

"They're Muggles, but they have invented lots of things without magic, and owing to some of their inventions they are hard to keep secrets from. They arrested a Chinese wizard for slipping someone a love potion, which precipitated the current confrontation."

"And which Du is this, it's a family name -"

too-early-and-too-late

"Du Xiaomeng is their new Minister."

"Mm. Shizhang would have been better. I'm not in - very good condition, right now, I don't know that I had better travel -"

"You shouldn't," says Erica, "here, at least sit down -" She pulls a chair over for him and he sits in it.

too-early-and-too-late

"I would be happy to talk to people, if I know who to talk to and have some - background on the political landscape."

Ebele Miranda Swan ༐

chanuphis

"It's so fuzzy," murmurs Elio.

Miranda says, "Why would, uh, Sure-jang have been better -"

"Longer temper. Would have been excited about aliens imposing a common language, thinks that's the only barrier to wizard unification."

too-early-and-too-late

"Elio, what happened?"

He closes his eyes and shudders. Erica answers instead - "That horrible little wretch was keeping him cursed every minute of every day - for years -"

too-early-and-too-late