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Akibel Mowar is on his way home from the blacksmith's when he spots it. People are shrieking and fleeing from it, which seems reasonable, as it's a fuckoff huge snake with a mirror for a face. A big mirror.
Kib can't so much flee. He can shriek - he can lurch in the direction of the nearest house and try the door - it's locked. He can amble briskly...
He can break into a run when the snake gains on him and fall flat on his face.
And he can get eaten up.
And it's too bright too bright too bright and he flings his arm over his eyes.
secondchance
secondchance
He hasn't even learned the grace song well enough to sing it through without forgetting bits yet, it really doesn't help that he doesn't speak Quenya. However, he is very interested in learning magic songs.
In theory the songs should also be magic in his language, it's not like there's something special about Quenya. But composition is a very precise process - he explains it a little bit - so they can't just work out translations on the spot. They can sing the grace song a few more times? Maitimo was going to try to transcribe it in Kib's preferred alphabet, perhaps they can ask him about that this evening.
And then the lights are Mingling again.
And then the lights are Mingling again.
secondchance
Kib considers going through the grace song a few times an excellent use of his time, although having it transcribed will be very handy for long term retention.
Yes! And he needn't sleep if he's not tired, the prince Nelyafinwë does not seem to sleep very often.
In that case they'll go back to the prince Nelyafinwë's study and ask about a transcription of the song?
The prince Nelyafinwë is in fact awake, in a different elaborate robe and with hair differently elaborately braided - same circlet, though - and would love to do the song. Hello! Pleasant day? How does your writing system work?
And he attempts to transcribe the grace song. It takes them most of the night, Quenya doesn't transcribe into the common very easily and you have to get sounds exactly right for singing. When it's done Maitimo's dissatisfied with the handwriting and writes out a cleaner copy.
"If you could also get the song's benefits by making ghastly rattling noises like someone was choking you, would that be as nice as a song?"
"So this handwriting is the aesthetic equivalent of gasping rattling noises and I am going to write it for you prettier."
There are footsteps in the hallway.
There are footsteps in the hallway.
secondchance
"I don't find the handwriting nearly that unpleasant to look at," Kib says. "There are people with handwriting so bad it's unreadable to anyone except them but this is not that. It just seems like a waste of your time and you're a busy person."
"Not terribly so, really. I am a person who likes having my time occupied, and this is a delightful way to occupy it. Regrettably some of the things that keep me occupied require enough scheduling in advance I couldn't spend a week wandering the city with you, but it will not grind to a halt if I want to give you pretty things instead of ugly ones."