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Edarial is nine, and he's avoiding his mother again.
Exploring the palace gets old after a while, but the library's even worse, and he suspects that if he spent any more time in his room, he'd scream. So, exploring the palace it is. Berathyme's with him, anyway, so the palace won't be so boring. She tends to make observations he didn't notice himself, and that's always interesting, if not always useful. Corridor, corridor, guest rooms, oh yes that is the closet with all of the uncomfortably looking coats, he'd forgotten about that one. Berathyme observes that they've been used relatively recently, some poor souls must have suffered - and then he opens a door and there's something he doesn't recognize.
He stares at the bar in confusion, consults briefly with Berathyme, and then wanders in.
What exactly is going on here?
royal_obligation
she_sells_seashells
"...and if you want people to call you 'your highness' you probably should have told me days ago."
royal_pain
"I'm royalty too! I'm okay with people calling me 'your highness,' it makes me feel fancy."
she_sells_seashells
Shell Bell giggles. And nibbles on another piece of the fudge that Bar provided for dessert.
And manages over the next while to talk her parents into emigrating, although they both want to pack some clothes.
And manages over the next while to talk her parents into emigrating, although they both want to pack some clothes.
royal_obligation
Edarial doesn't comment on how they can just buy clothes from the bar. Baby steps. Baby steps. Not everyone wandered in here when they were children and grew up with the knowledge that they're a multidimensional bar that dispenses literally anything that has ever been created.
"I'm going to try and sweet talk some technology out of Bar," he says. "Or at least buy some of the books of spell charts."
"I'm going to try and sweet talk some technology out of Bar," he says. "Or at least buy some of the books of spell charts."
she_sells_seashells
"Ooh - yes, definitely, technology, lots of it, I love my recorder, there are probably other things with battery life that will last long enough."
royal_obligation
"You are entirely welcome to come help me gather up technology for nefarious altruistic purposes."
she_sells_seashells
Shell Bell cackles, and helps. She wants a computer, ideally one that will be compatible with her recorder, first of all - Edarial will know better than her what other things will be most useful in his world.
royal_obligation
Agricultural things are useful, as are transportation things, but Edarial's not turning down communication and information sharing, either. The problem is getting an infrastructure set up to make some of the more fantastic things - he gets a lot of schematics to build the infrastructure, rather than the items themselves.
she_sells_seashells
Shell Bell wants the computer loaded up with books and movies, too, because she's otherwise not going to have anything to read until she learns Marlatian and that sounds awful. She makes helpful schematic suggestions, coming from a more advanced - if worse-run - culture and and knowing a few things about what Bar can do that Edarial's never had the chance to pick up.
royal_obligation
Shell Bell is delightfully useful and Edarial smiles brilliantly at her every time she displays such! It is a very cute smile.
Once they're through with the schematics, it's on to spell charts, which doesn't take particularly long but results in lots of books to carry.
"Okay," says Edarial, setting book stack number three onto the table. "Anything else we need?"
Once they're through with the schematics, it's on to spell charts, which doesn't take particularly long but results in lots of books to carry.
"Okay," says Edarial, setting book stack number three onto the table. "Anything else we need?"
she_sells_seashells
Shell Bell makes sure she has her recorder, the computer, its peripherals, its solar charger, both copies of the phrasebook (one in her possession and one in Edarial's), and her fire wand. Her parents confirm possession of their suitcases.
"I - think we're set."
"I - think we're set."
royal_obligation
"All right then."
And they all pile through the door, and once everyone and all of their various possessions are through, it shuts neatly behind them.
There goes the translation magic. This'll be fun.
And they all pile through the door, and once everyone and all of their various possessions are through, it shuts neatly behind them.
There goes the translation magic. This'll be fun.
royal_pain
And Zevros goes off to tell people that there are now guests in the palace that are extremely foreign, and that they should be treated very nicely.
Soon enough: there are guest rooms.
They are very nice guest rooms. Shell Bell gets her own, Ranae and Shark have a separate one across the hall.
Soon enough: there are guest rooms.
They are very nice guest rooms. Shell Bell gets her own, Ranae and Shark have a separate one across the hall.
she_sells_seashells
It's nice. Shell Bell smiles all the time, and studies her phrasebook, and points at things and asks what they're called, with her recorder taking notes for her on things to study during downtime.
She hugs Edarial a lot.
She hugs Edarial a lot.
royal_obligation
He hugs her back, a lot! He's also usually the one helping with the language. There are also servants that help. They are very nice, and they obviously like their jobs, and both Edarial and Zevros treat them like people instead of moving sentient furniture.
Living in a palace: nice. Especially when the people you're with are not jerks.
Living in a palace: nice. Especially when the people you're with are not jerks.
she_sells_seashells
Shell Bell solidifies the vocabulary present in her phrasebook reasonably fast, although she has a strong accent. She's slower with everything else, but practices diligently. Her parents lag far behind and mostly get her to translate when they're not sure what's going on. Through a combination of doodles and Shell-Bell-mediated questions, Shark gets directions to a canal where he can fish and Ranae gets things to sew with.
royal_obligation
These things are both fine! Shark mysteriously gets fishing supplies, and Ranae gets a cute little hex that helps with tiny finicky stitching. It is all very mysterious and also excessively obvious who's responsible. Oh, the horror, gifts.