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Two girls are moving their hands through the air and speaking together in perfect parallel.
Two girls are looking expectantly at a circle of red chalk on their floor.
Two girls have done something exceptionally stupid.
Arcane in Elcenia
infinitely-stranger
A person appears in the middle of the circle. He is five and a half feet tall, wearing very simple clothes all in dark grey - leggings and soft-soled shoes and a long shirt with an open back.
There are wings trailing from his shoulders, or something distantly reminiscent of wings - a fluttering spray of nearly invisible fabric, floating in the air like faint black smoke, speckled with tiny stars.
Apart from those, he seems more like a human than anything else.
He looks at the girls, and says in mild tones with perfect intelligibility, "What's all this about?"
There are wings trailing from his shoulders, or something distantly reminiscent of wings - a fluttering spray of nearly invisible fabric, floating in the air like faint black smoke, speckled with tiny stars.
Apart from those, he seems more like a human than anything else.
He looks at the girls, and says in mild tones with perfect intelligibility, "What's all this about?"
"Whoa," says the darker one.
"Well, I guess I don't have to look up a translation spell," says the blonde one.
"We're just borrowing you for a few degrees so we can show you to Nemaar, and then we'll put you back," adds the first earnestly.
"Well, I guess I don't have to look up a translation spell," says the blonde one.
"We're just borrowing you for a few degrees so we can show you to Nemaar, and then we'll put you back," adds the first earnestly.
infinitely-stranger
"That is not as complete an explanation as I might have hoped," he says. "Where am I, and how did you manage to borrow me, and why do you need to show me to Nemaar?"
"He was making fun of me," says the dark girl.
"You're in our room in our school in Paraasilan, Esmaar in Elcenia," says her roommate, "and we summoned you."
"You're in our room in our school in Paraasilan, Esmaar in Elcenia," says her roommate, "and we summoned you."
"No, not really," says the blonde. "We weren't even supposed to, but we'll put you right back after."
infinitely-stranger
"I am not especially concerned about how quickly you will put me back," he says. "I am concerned that this happened at all."
And he pauses, and then adds, "I am called Arcane."
And he pauses, and then adds, "I am called Arcane."
"I'm Saasnil and that's Korulen and we're wizards," says, apparently, Saasnil.
Click. Click. The names are real.
"In training," amends Korulen.
Click. Click. The names are real.
"In training," amends Korulen.
infinitely-stranger
"Wizards," he muses. "Hm. And is wizardry the sort of magic that one can easily explain? How exactly did you bring me here, and how exactly do you propose to return me?"
"Well, we drew out the diagram and then we co-cast the spell because neither of us has the," says Korulen, and then she stops.
"...Korulen?"
"Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no -"
"...Korulen?"
"Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no -"
"Oh no you can't co-cast a reversal oh no -"
"But - can't we just send him or...?"
"He's not from here you can only send people who are Elcenian!"
"But - can't we just send him or...?"
"He's not from here you can only send people who are Elcenian!"
infinitely-stranger
"I do not expect to be trapped here forever," he murmurs. "Although that does raise the question of when you will be letting me out of this circle."
"Can't, can't, I have to tell my mom -"
"No! No I'll be expelled!"
"I have to! You won't be expelled, you're my backup, okay, if I can't do it, you won't -"
"Don't tell her!"
"No! No I'll be expelled!"
"I have to! You won't be expelled, you're my backup, okay, if I can't do it, you won't -"
"Don't tell her!"
"I have to, okay, there's nothing else we can do," and Korulen closes her eyes.
The door opens. A green-haired woman with almost fey youth, but no wings, steps in. "Hello. I'm terribly sorry about this," she tells Arcane.
The door opens. A green-haired woman with almost fey youth, but no wings, steps in. "Hello. I'm terribly sorry about this," she tells Arcane.
infinitely-stranger
"Hello," says Arcane. "I was not drawn away from any urgent business."
"I'm Keo, and I'm the school's headmaster's wife. We'll be able to let you out of the circle after confirming that it's safe. Do you mind if I check, minimally invasively?"
"Whether it would be dangerous to let you out of the circle - or at least, more dangerous than leaving you in it would be inconvenient. I've got some mental talents that will let me look at that and nothing else if you'll allow me."
infinitely-stranger
"Mental talents," he repeats. "What sort of mental talents."
"I'm a dragon," she says, "and green-group dragons in general are empaths, and some are telepaths, and I'm some extra on top of that -"
infinitely-stranger
The implied scope of her mental powers is terrifyingly vast.
And if it were up to him perhaps he would wait and see how this plays out, but he has active Queenscourt orders, and whether he interprets her as a threat or a resource he is required to get control of her.
"Hold," he says sharply, enforced for all vassals in earshot.
And if it were up to him perhaps he would wait and see how this plays out, but he has active Queenscourt orders, and whether he interprets her as a threat or a resource he is required to get control of her.
"Hold," he says sharply, enforced for all vassals in earshot.
The girls are motionless. And scared.
Keo has a moment of disoriented stillness - and then moves anyway, beginning to speak a word with no meaning -
Keo has a moment of disoriented stillness - and then moves anyway, beginning to speak a word with no meaning -
infinitely-stranger
"Make that stop," Arcane orders Keo, referring to whatever is causing her to move.