View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
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.
+ Show First Post
secondchance
secondchance
"Suspect we scale differently, anyway. I keep meeting people all from this one family, here; I don't branch off like that, humans're pretty atomized."
"Anyway, holding Maitimo's interest is easier than holding Tirion's but humans may be able to do both."
"That's hardly fair," Maitimo says, "I have lots of things to command my attention -"
"And reasonably good taste," says his father, "so things that are a good use of your attention get it right away. I'm less confident in Tirion's populace. For example, less than a third of them have learned the common."
"That's hardly fair," Maitimo says, "I have lots of things to command my attention -"
"And reasonably good taste," says his father, "so things that are a good use of your attention get it right away. I'm less confident in Tirion's populace. For example, less than a third of them have learned the common."
secondchance
"I don't know how disappointed to be in that; I'm used to thinking of learning a language as a major time investment. I'm still not very good at Quenya."
"I think it reflects a failure of curiosity," Fëanáro says. "Maitimo's not very intellectually inclined and he didn't take very long to pick it up."
secondchance
"I've been assuming Elves are just better at languages than humans usually are but I'm not sure what you can possibly mean by 'intellectually inclined' if he doesn't count."
"My father and I have a long-running disagreement on whether charisma is an intellectual skill," Maitimo says. "He thinks he can needle me into coming home and being a mediocre engineer."
"That's not what I want for you."
"And not my fated path, apparently."
"I favor averting your fated path, but you at least didn't seem incompetent at it."
"You two," Nerdanel says, "need to say whatever you actually mean, this is ridiculous."
They stare at each other for a minute.
"I am upset with you," Maitimo says, "because I apparently commit terrible crimes and you apparently murder my brother and now you are making more and better desperately important Silmarils which perhaps some day I'll murder tens of thousands of innocents to retrieve and I am worried we've made fate pick up the pace instead of preventing it."
"I am upset," Fëanáro says, "because it seems I have fifty Years to figure out how to fight a Vala and that's not enough time and I'm worried if I'm not good enough you're going to end up tortured until we can only recognize you by the hair."
"There we go," Nerdanel says wearily.
"That's not what I want for you."
"And not my fated path, apparently."
"I favor averting your fated path, but you at least didn't seem incompetent at it."
"You two," Nerdanel says, "need to say whatever you actually mean, this is ridiculous."
They stare at each other for a minute.
"I am upset with you," Maitimo says, "because I apparently commit terrible crimes and you apparently murder my brother and now you are making more and better desperately important Silmarils which perhaps some day I'll murder tens of thousands of innocents to retrieve and I am worried we've made fate pick up the pace instead of preventing it."
"I am upset," Fëanáro says, "because it seems I have fifty Years to figure out how to fight a Vala and that's not enough time and I'm worried if I'm not good enough you're going to end up tortured until we can only recognize you by the hair."
"There we go," Nerdanel says wearily.
secondchance
...Kib is not sure he has anything to add here. Except the handsqueeze he cannot produce in company.
"And calling me a disappointment helps with that?" Maitimo says.
"Hmm? No, there I was mostly fishing for reactions from Kib, he's very protective of you and I find it vaguely reassuring."
"Hmm? No, there I was mostly fishing for reactions from Kib, he's very protective of you and I find it vaguely reassuring."
secondchance
"- um? It is in general horrifying when people are tortured and wind up probably mentally warped in some way such that they go on to massacre people, and in specific horrifying when it's Maitimo. I would like it to not happen and I'm working on it best I can. What are you looking for exactly here."
"Are you sleeping with my son?"
"I think you would actually have some measure of people skills," Maitimo says after a minute, "if you tried."
"Obviously I would if I tried," says his father impatiently. "Most people aren't worth it.
At least you have good taste."
"Obviously I would if I tried," says his father impatiently. "Most people aren't worth it.
At least you have good taste."
"I do have good taste," Maitimo says after a second's hesitation.
Trying to lie to him will annoy him.
"The King," Fëanáro says, "has told me he wants to hand down the crown once you've married and raised your own children."
"I was aware he felt that way."
Nerdanel sighs. Again. "Fëanáro-"
"I don't care at all how you conduct yourself," Fëanáro says impatiently, "though I feel badly for raising children in Valinor who'd by exposure start taking the laws and dubious morals of our idiot gods seriously. And I love you. And you two should be less obvious there's a great deal at stake."
"I was aware he felt that way."
Nerdanel sighs. Again. "Fëanáro-"
"I don't care at all how you conduct yourself," Fëanáro says impatiently, "though I feel badly for raising children in Valinor who'd by exposure start taking the laws and dubious morals of our idiot gods seriously. And I love you. And you two should be less obvious there's a great deal at stake."
"You are the smartest person in Valinor," says Maitimo, "do keep that in mind, and you had it on the list of possibilities, apparently, when most people don't."
"Your mother did, actually."
"I did not suggest we comment, though," Nerdanel says wearily.
"Your mother did, actually."
"I did not suggest we comment, though," Nerdanel says wearily.
secondchance
Sigh. "If having it on the list of possibilities closes the gap then when people go to my world and notice how we're infested with public gays in lieu of idiot gods, this may be a problem."
"You do look at him very protectively," Nerdanel says. "I can try to bounce some memories to you, if you want to see -"
Kib and Maitimo walking down the path to the house, their postures changing as they come within view of people, the comfortable intimacy of the original poses mostly apparent when they change into tense ones. And a lot of Kib looking at Maitimo at all the moments he had wished he could squeeze his hand.
