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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
"And not very sophisticated. Huh. Well, as long as humans can be taught you can have singers in all your houses of healing in a few years."
"Yes. I'm not sure if we only get mild ones or if it's just easy for us to fight them off. We asked the Valar about making them stop but apparently if they did that none of us would ever be able to leave Valinor."
secondchance
"So, I actually looked this up once, the vaccine for the pox is literally deliberately infecting somebody with a similar disease. Someone noticed that if you'd had that similar disease, you wouldn't get the pox, even if you hung out with poxy people all day long. So now when kids are like three they have to sit through having the - there's like fifty names for the thing, my creche's kids called it 'the bad freckles' - but it practically never kills anybody. And some other vaccines are actually the same disease as the one they're trying to prevent, but administered 'dead'."
"And the body learns?" he says. "That would make a sort of sense. In that case I will revise my opinion of the Valar - I am glad they gave that some thought even when it seemed needless."
secondchance
"Yeah, the body learns. It's possible Lári should get a standard course of vaccines even though she's growing up here. But what I was wondering was if you gave a batch of creche kids the bad freckles and they were cooped up in quarantine getting over it so they didn't pass it to anyone younger, and then you sang them all better and they left, would they get the immunity? Would they still be carrying the freckles?"
"She's the Vala of healing, she's the one who explained to me why we sometimes get minor illnesses even in Valinor, I'd expect her to know if anyone does."
And the following afternoon Findekáno says, hey, Maitimo mentioned you were vaguely intrigued by our Enemy-on-probation and he's giving a lecture tomorrow afternoon about metalworking and chemistry, would you like to go with me?
secondchance
Sure, that sounds less awkward than showing up at his house. Unless it's got prerequisites I don't have or something?
Dunno what you know but I can try filling in the gaps, it's not intended for a general audience but it's not intended for, like, Mahtan and Fëanáro and no one else either.
secondchance
Worth a shot. It doesn't run too late, does it? Said I'd play Governor with Maitimo tonight.
He doesn't tell me anything, you know. Not sure if it's a principle or if he's just really fond of secrets. I am left guessing from how cheerful he looks.
